tired light c6

Carsten Nicolai

Sound and visual artist Carsten Nicolai is best known for his use of the moiré effect, once considered an undesirable side effect of printing, which results when a pattern is superimposed atop another pattern to give it a wavy or rippled texture. Like visual renderings of sound, Nicolai uses line, light, shadow, and air to create works that challenge and enhance perception and lend two-dimensional images the impression of three-dimensionality. Nicolai’s installation moire glass (2010) features six vertical panes of rotating glass, each printed with a different pattern, inviting viewers to participate in the effect of optical variations.