carsten nicolai

ora

2007
diasec on aludibond
232 x 180 cm
ora

the work ora shows a detail of a fresco, taken at the monastery trinità dei monti, just above the spanish steps in rome, italy. the fresco was created by emmanuel maignan in the 17th century and documents the record of the path of the sun over a period of some years by transcribing the sun beam that enters the room through a small hole in the wall. the result is a high number of overlapping curved lines that at first sight seem to be arbitrary but carry astronomical precision.