Keith Sonnier, Double Loop, 1989

1989

Medium

Aluminum and neon

Dimensions

35 × 140 cm

Edition

Ed. 5/12 plus 3 AP

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-155810

The wall sculpture Double Loop (1989) was created simultaneously to Keith Sonnier's series Shelf Works, in which the artist explores the interaction between sculpture, colored light, and architecture. The geometry of the commercial aluminum profiles contrasts with the organic curves of the red neon light, reminiscent of a buzzing insect or a flying object. Sonnier's work explores the physical properties of neon light, which expands spatially and can transcend material boundaries. Sonnier considered working with light in relation to the novel communication technologies of his time. For him, neon gas, which emitted a diffuse, amorphous glow, floated in the atmosphere, as intangible and unfixed as radio waves and satellite data. Like these technologies, neon appeared to be boundless, the radiating waves of light a way to visualize a world where distances are diminished and communication is possible within a short time frame. Sonnier was one of the first artists to bring neon and communication structures together in the 1960s and 1970s, helping to materialize the spatial and cultural logic of these systems, using the unique perceptual properties of neon light in real space. In addition to dissolving the material weight of sculpture through light, Sonnier revolutionized the concept of sculpture through his use of industrial materials such as neon, latex, foam, and aluminum.