Artist:
Sina, Alejandro
Title/Year: Corona Discharge 1972-1976
Dimensions: 25 x 15
Materials: Water, common light bulb,
steel, electronics
Year: 5/77
From: Institute of Contemporary Art Boston,
Mass.
Owner: DBW
Location: Santa Ynez
Exhibited at: Wadsworth Atheneum 1984;
PULSE 2 at S.B. 1990 Butler
Comments:
ALEJANDRO & MOIRA SINA create kinetic lightworks that use electricity, glass and luminous gases. Their work (much of it made for architectural and public spaces) requires viewer participation ranging from pressing a switch to clapping hands to simply touching an artwork to activate the light. Mr. Sina developed a new technique for using neon that eliminates bulky wiring apparatus and power supplies, thereby allowing the neon to be put into motion. A native of Chile, Mr. Sina came to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1973 and worked for six years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Center for Advanced Visual Studies. He and his wife Moira have worked as a team since 1977. They have received and executed numerous commissions, including a hanging sculpture made of 1,000 red neon tubes for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Alewife Station in North Cambridge, Massachusetts.