GOLD DIGGER
winner of the 2021 edition of the "A Cel obert"
Gold Digger is an installation that explores the world of curiosity and the desire for discovery as part of Tortosa's A Cel Obert festival, a festival of ephemeral interventions held annually since 2014, where ephemeral art aims to transform an
unknown historical space into a stage for artistic creations, while reclaiming the city's architectural heritage.
The installation is set in the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènec dels Reials Colégis from the 16th century, a direct legacy of a period of economic and social splendour in the city and built to educate the Moors. They are the most important work of the Civil Renaissance in Catalonia.
The construction of the work involves a large sheet made up of 112 thermal blankets joined together that covers the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènec and exploits the intrinsic property of the material, of having two different faces, to create a duality between two spaces: warmth-cold, light-shadow, gold-silver, on the reverse.
The gold side faces the courtyard, the silver side faces the building, creating a chromatic difference between the entrance space and the upper courtyard. The large sheet is suspended 1.30 metres above the ground and is perforated at specific points with circular slits so that light can pass through it.
Therefore, the first impression upon entering is that of a dark space with a silver face, but with points of light entering through these holes, so that the user is attracted to see what is behind the curtain.
The user's curiosity makes him crouch down to reach the light to cross the canvas and enter a different world, from the silvery darkness of the entrance to the golden light of the courtyard, under the gaze of the kings who also stick their noses into the fabric through some holes.
The wind, always present in Tortosa, moves the fabric, creating new reflections of light and a sound similar to the waves of the sea. The colour and effect of the installation changes according to the time of day: in the middle of the day the light enters directly from above and the reflection becomes almost blinding, at
sunset the golden colour becomes almost pink. At night the contrast is between darkness and light and is accentuated by the presence of artificial lighting.
The installation was the winner of the festival where visitors actively interacted, discovering not only sculptural details of the courtyard's Renaissance ornamentation, but also each other within the installation.
As from the top floor from where the whole installation can be seen, especially the children running under the fabric and then sticking their heads out of the holes and waving to each other.
