Neon flex LEDs, computer, stainless steel, 44 x 0.4 x 2 m.
The artwork’s basis is the temporary steel structure constructed to support the weakened quay wall in the Golden Corner at the Herengracht/Vijzelstraat intersection. The structure’s poles feature glowing golden light circles, reminiscent of stacked coins, reflecting the area’s status as the city’s most expensive segment during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Peter Vink uses moving black blocks within the light circles, driven by an algorithm, to emulate a stock ticker. This is apt, considering the stock market’s role as a playground for AI technology. Whether it represents a blessing or a curse remains an open question: the financial world is as vulnerable as the canal wall and the historical city it underpins.
Technical/Mechanical Design, Electronic Design and Production by Yens & Yens
Artist: Peter Vink
Location: Amsterdam Light Festival Edition 12, Amsterdam
Realized: November, 2023
