The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy Book One: Inferno (2001)
Design for illuminated sign
I had the idea for this piece while idly waiting for an artist's talk in the Clore Auditorium at the Tate Britain, contemplating the utilitarian beauty of the fire exit signs. I'd recently read the Inferno, so it may have been current in my mind; whatever the reason, I had the notion to put the two together, and attempt to represent the Inferno in an extremely abridged pictographic form, the sort of flippant idea I frequently have and discard without too much consideration, but being a simple idea, it didn't take undue time and effort to mock it up on a computer. The one aspect I'm unsure about is the positioning of the arrow. In attempting to convey the figure's movement towards the flames, but also downwards, it might not be so clear as if the arrow was merely pointing in a horizontal position.
The Divine Comedy Book One: Inferno
Exit downlighter (2004)
I had the opportunity to make this work for the exhibition Failsafe, in a slightly different form that I had intended it look, though it was successful enough that most people probably didn't realise it was a work of art, especially as it was installed above a doorway.
©copyright 2005 Nicholas Middleton