Artistic report
The zenith is the point where a vertical line from the observer intersects with the celestial sphere above. In other words, if we imagine a straight line that passes through the centre of the Earth and through our position on its surface, the zenith is situated above this straight line, directly above the observer’s head.
Why Temples of the Zenith? Thirty-five years ago, I heard the poet Segimon Serrallonga, in one of his splendid poetic moments, use the word zenith in relation to the heavenly vault. I was moved by what he said and … I grasped the transcendence of what it conveyed. I embraced the word. I knew that I would use it in one of my works someday.
When I completed Crypt (www.cripta.cat), I decided to work on this virtual project that had been going round and round in my head ever since I started Crypt. There was also the precedent of the Pladevall Virtual Projects that I presented at the Galeria Maeght in Barcelona in 2000 with the collaboration of Xavier Verdaguer (this project can be viewed at www.pladevall.com). One of these was Cromlech Titan, which I was able to turn into a reality at Els Masos de Pals. Unquestionably one of the finest projects of my life. A precursor project that links up with the pagan spirituality of Crypt and Temples of the Zenith.
Temples of the Zenith are temples where light from the cupola is always present. Some are completely open to the sky, others in part, or also in small openings. They are pagan temples dedicated to nature in the form of stones, tree trunks, water, earth or fire. They are essential, primordial elements that interact in the sculptural and architectural spaces where they stand and which swaddle them.
Major referents include dolmens, cromlechs and the monuments known as navetes on Minorca from prehistoric times, the Shinto shrines in Japan and, in our own era, the Metaphysical Boxes by Oteiza, the Rothko Chapel in Houston (USA) and the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel (Germany) designed by the architect Peter Zumthor.
Technical Report
The Temples of the Zenith project will consist of seven temples, all of them virtual but capable of being built. The creation of the temples and their surroundings will be virtual. Together with artistic and technical collaborators, we will create the appropriate environment for each temple. These environments can be anywhere on the planet. Each project will include virtual daytime and nocturnal photographic images, videos, plans, 3D scale models, texts, virtual reality headsets, etc. They are all designed to be shown in a wide range of spaces such as galleries, cultural centres and museums.
I would like to thank my collaborators Joel Blasi and Marc Gàlvez for their magnificent work on the 3D design of the temples, videos and virtual reality.
Enric Pladevall
August 2022 – January 2023
