Katarina Löfström

Loop (The End)

Photo: Katarina Löfström
2/3

Loop (The End), 2006
Bulbs, cable, dimmer. Variable size
Light chain with stearing, blinking the sentence "The End" in morse code

In 1832 Samuel Morse declared his famous words: "If the presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit, I see no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted instantaneously by electricity", after which he threw his successful art practice overboard and became an inventor. In 1844 Morse telegraphed the first communication between Washington DC and Baltimore. The message read "What hath God wrought!" (The Book of Numbers 23:23). The verse was probably used to point out the fact that electricity and the telegraph were not the result of witchcraft, but were Gods own work.


Loop (The End) consists of a light chain that loops the sentence "The End" in Morse. The paradox of the works lies in the impossibility of ending something over and over again and can be seen as a vanity motif. In Rosario two different light chains flash the words "Eyes Open" and "Wide Awake" respectively, the classic command used to bring a patient out of a hypnotic trance. Within psychiatry trance is used to access memories and ideas that for various reasons have been submerged beyond the reach of language. Through trance the patient is able to reach a state where he/she can resurface memories and ideas to a conscious state of mind.