carsten nicolai

tristela

2018
steel, semi-mirrored glass, light, controller, sensor
3.5 x 3.5 x 12.6 m
tristela

derived from the greek word στήλη (stélē = pillar, column), the title tristela refers directly to the artwork. a light pillar that creates its correspondence between the building, light and nature (land/air/water).

the 'tri-' typifies the triangle based structure and shape corresponding to the company's logo. as a unique characteristic tristela is entirely mirrored and thus creates kaleidoscopically reflections inside and outside the sculpture — mirroring the sky, the sea, the sun, the building.

during the night it sets a marking point — like a lighthouse — visible to the viewer looking out to the sea and vice versa. the aim was to create an iconographic sculpture that attempts without any monumentality to create both a point of reference and landmark for this specific site.

this work is permeant installed at daikin ales aoya in tottori, japan