Nights and Fogs

The installation Notti e nebbie (Nights and Fogs), 1998, centers on the theme of light and presents a suggestive situation, rich with possibility. Placed on the ground, a slide projector illuminates the silhouette of a miniature lighthouse. The resulting shadow projected on the wall is surrounded by a halo of light that contains the entire spectrum of colors. Airò chooses the lighthouse motif as the symbol of light itself. Visible even under adverse atmospheric conditions, the lighthouse is an indispensable guide for navigators, a comforting indication of the proximity of land and a signal that helps avoid hidden dangers. Although the light it produces is artificial, the lighthouse beacon maintains positive implications as a symbol of knowledge in opposition to the darkness of doubt. Using pared-down techniques and deliberately exposing the components that create the conditions of vision, including the light bulb and its wires, Airò confronts a theme that is rich in references giving us an almost ethereal installation.