Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea
Cyanotype on paper,
metal structures
750 x 150 cm
Video
12′ 35″
2018
EN
Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea consists of a large-scale cyanotype on paper accompanied by a video documenting its process of creation. The work emerges from the sun exposure of a photosensitive surface, positioned within the cone of shadow cast by the obelisk of Villa Opicina (Trieste) at the moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. The video shows in real time the imprinting of the shadow onto the paper, followed by the washing and fixing of the cyanotype in the waters of the Adriatic Sea.
Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea consists of a large-scale cyanotype on paper accompanied by a video documenting its process of creation. The work emerges from the sun exposure of a photosensitive surface, positioned within the cone of shadow cast by the obelisk of Villa Opicina (Trieste) at the moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. The video shows in real time the imprinting of the shadow onto the paper, followed by the washing and fixing of the cyanotype in the waters of the Adriatic Sea.
In ancient Egypt, the obelisk was traditionally associated with solar worship and interpreted as a symbolic manifestation of a ray of sunlight, in relation to the god Ra. During the Roman period, many obelisks were relocated and reused as celebratory monuments, acquiring new meanings connected to imperial power. In the modern era, particularly in post-revolutionary Europe, this monumental form was further reinterpreted as a symbol of light and rationality in relation to Enlightenment ideals. Within this framework, Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and Letting It Dissolve into the Sea can be understood as a reflection on the anti-monument, positioning the shadow as a symbolic counterpart to light.
The obelisk of Villa Opicina was erected in 1839 on the edge of a promontory near Trieste, during the Austrian Empire, in honor of Emperor Francis II (Francis I of Austria). Its construction commemorated the opening of the Strada Nuova per Opicina, a strategic road that established a connection between Trieste and the Austrian hinterland.
IT
Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and Letting It Dissolve into the Sea consiste in una cianotipia di grande formato su carta accompagnata da un video che ne documenta il processo di realizzazione. L’opera nasce dall’esposizione al sole sulla superficie fotosensibile, collocata all’interno del cono d’ombra dell’obelisco di Villa Opicina (Trieste) nel momento di massima altezza del sole. Il video mostra in tempo reale l’impressione dell’ombra sulla carta, seguita dal lavaggio e dal fissaggio della cianotipia nelle acque del mare Adriatico.
Nell’antico Egitto, l’obelisco era tradizionalmente associato al culto solare e interpretato come una manifestazione simbolica del raggio del sole, in relazione al dio Ra. In epoca romana, molti obelischi furono trasferiti e riutilizzati come elementi celebrativi, assumendo nuovi significati legati al potere imperiale. In età moderna, e in particolare nel contesto europeo post-rivoluzionario, questa forma monumentale è stata ulteriormente reinterpretata, come simbolo di luce e razionalità in relazione agli ideali illuministi. Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and Letting It Dissolve into the Sea si configura come una riflessione sull’antimonumento, ponendo l’ombra come controparte simbolica della luce.
L’obelisco di Villa Opicina fu eretto nel 1839 sul ciglio di un promontorio nei pressi di Trieste, durante l’Impero austriaco, in onore dell’imperatore Francesco II (Francesco I d’Austria). La sua costruzione celebrava l’apertura della Strada Nuova per Opicina, infrastruttura strategica che sanciva il collegamento tra Trieste e l’entroterra austriaco.
Ryts Monet, Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea, video, 12′ 35″, 2018.
Ryts Monet, Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea,
still from video, 2018.
Ryts Monet, Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea,
installation view at Galleria Michela Rizzo, Venezia, 2019.
Ryts Monet, Taking the Shadow of an Obelisk and letting it dissolve into the Sea,
installation views at Per Tina, Steirischer Herbst Parallel Program,
Leechkirche, Graz, Austria, 2020.
Quotidiana - Paesaggio, Alterazioni Video and Ryts Monet
curated by Marie-Therese Bruglacher
exhibition view at Palazzo Braschi, photo credits by Carlo Romano, video by Anton Giulio Onofri,
Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma, 2023.