Boris Acket: Between the Utopian and Dystopian

We continue our exploration of prominent contemporary artists who push the boundaries of creativity with monumental installations.

Boris Acketa Dutch contemporary artist and composer, works with sound, light, and movement, exploring the interaction between control and surrender in the (natural) world. Initially rooted in electronic music and club culture, Acket’s practice evolved to challenge the boundaries between sound art, music, and stage space, often blurring the distinctions between exhibitions and club experiences.

His recent shift toward recontextualizing nature in artistic spaces was influenced by encounters with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton and sociologist Riyan van den Born in 2020. Acket’s work now offers sanctuaries and ritual encounters while alluding to dystopian narratives of our future interactions with the (natural) world.

In an interview with the European media outlet“Visual Atelier 8”, he explains how he conceptualizes his artistic expression:

“Generally speaking, I work from fundamental elements I want to explore, whether it’s light, sound, movement, or even more ephemeral ideas like consciousness, the philosophy of time, or perception. I think of my work as an evolving system, an interaction of elemental forces and technology. The visual metamorphosis you see is a reflection of these processes meeting the digital world, where technology is not a separate entity but a means to reveal underlying structures. I let the work take on a life of its own, becoming a living ecosystem that grows and changes organically over time.”

He then addresses the significant question of whether he first finds the space and then thinks about what work to develop or vice versa:

“I like transforming spaces, but it really depends. Sometimes, a space determines the idea. The architecture, history, or energy of a place can spark something unique, something that could only exist in that specific environment. Other times, I have a concept or feeling in mind and look for the right space to bring it to life. My installations are symbiotic with their environment, so they always influence each other. It’s a dance between the idea and the space; both evolve together to create the final work.”

Below is a selection of his most notable works.

Einder / Wind

Einder is a series of installations by Boris Acket that delve into the artistic potential of fabric as a medium. Einder seamlessly fuses moving fabric, dynamic lighting, and spatial sound, creating a unified composition.

Utilizing linear mechanisms, vertical motors, and a harmonious blend of artificial and natural wind, Einder is an ongoing study of the balance between control and surrender. The fabric, though guided by technology, maintains a level of unpredictability that ensures no wave mimics another. Accompanied by a soundscape of synthetic and natural elements, Einder simulates natural patterns and phenomena, echoing weather changes and appearances through coordinated movement, light, and sound.

“People often tell me that the pieces of fabric I place look like renders. I always find this comment fascinating. Without screens, without rendering techniques, the fabric would simply be fabric, and the light would simply be light. The immaterial worlds have become so intertwined with our daily existence that real-life things sometimes seem to resemble the digital more than the real. In the case of Einder, it sometimes seems they become hypernature; hypernatural beings interacting with our real-world.”

Sunbeam, Captured

White light strikes the water’s surface, while colored light deviates, creating a dynamic play of lights. Marcelis’s mirror, inspired by the Kelvin scale, enhances this interplay. An intricate system of linear mechanisms generates waves in the 2 cm deep water layer.

Boris Acket captures this transient sunlight, attempting to freeze time within the installation. A multi-point lighting system mimics the sun’s daily path, perpetuating the fleeting moment.

“The idea was conceived while literally watching a sunbeam hitting a water surface after an epic rain in the middle of a buildup; a moment in time I wanted to capture, essentially stopping the passage of time.”

The Bird Of A Thousand Voices

The object is part of the set design for Tigran Hamansyan’s show, which premiered at the Holland Festival on June 8, 2024, directed by Ruben van Leer.

The mythological bird appears in many different cultures and often symbolizes resurrection and awakening. In Armenian tradition, its power lies in its song. To find the Bird of a Thousand Voices, one must first traverse the “path of no return” through black, white, and red worlds with endless deserts, cold mountain winters, turbulent rivers, and pursued by curses, betrayals, and forty-headed demons.

“The iconic form was chosen from a practical standpoint: the lack of anchor points in a concert hall gave rise to the design of two controllable wings, inserting Da Vinci’s heritage into the project; I love flowing with these projects and trusting the processes and choices along the way, bringing to life the different techniques I use.”