Duality of Light

On Friday Pliny and her mum went to see an exhibition called The Duality of Light.

They entered the exhibition space. There didn't seem to be much in it. At one end there were 3 screens in front of which sat 2 women talking. At the other end, a framed picture in the middle of a huge wall. It looked like an ordinary landscape, a tree and mountains. Pliny and her mum sat on a bench in front of the picture. It wasn't a painting, but a projected image. They looked at it for a minute or two. Is it moving? asked Pliny's mum. It didn't seem to be, but it was nice to sit down.

Pliny stood up and went across to another installation. This installation is meant for one person at a time, said a sign on the wall near a dark entrance. There were 2 lights on the wall. The one marked 'enter' was on, the one marked 'wait' was off. You go in, said her mum. I'll wait here and see if anything happens.

Pliny went in. It was a long dark tunnel. Sounds of dripping water came from somewhere overhead. There was a screen at the far end, and a person was standing in front of it. Pliny caught a glimpse of an image on the screen. It was a ghostly white image of an anxious-looking woman walking cautiously towards the light. The person was looking at the image of the woman. Pliny was embarrassed. She backed out slowly and went to sit with her mum in front of the picture of the tree. I'm not sure, said her mum, but I think the tree is brighter than it was.

They sat a bit longer. A woman came out of the tunnel and went over to the 2 women on the seat at the other end of the room. That was amazing, she said. The 3 of them turned and looked towards Pliny and her mum. They were laughing. You can go in now, said Pliny's mum.

Pliny went in. She walked towards the screen at the end of the tunnel. There was a bar of dim light across the floor and some kind of barrier in front of the screen indicating where she should stop. On the screen appeared the image she had seen earlier of a woman approaching nervously. It was an image of herself, she realised, but it was herself from a few seconds earlier, so that she was standing watching herself getting nearer, which made it quite unsettling. The more so when she realised the other woman in there earlier must have seen her too. The image suddenly exploded into dots and lines floating across the screen like pieces of spatial traffic. Pliny watched this for a long time but nothing altered, so she began to back away.

Was it good? asked her mum. It was, said Pliny. Has anything happened to the tree? Yes, replied her mum, it is all glowing orange. I have been watching the sun come up. In real time, said Pliny.

Just then a group of 4 Japanese students came in and headed straight for the tunnel. They all went in together. Sounds of laughter mingled with the doleful dripping of water. Now I've missed my chance to go in, said Pliny's mum. Wait till later, Pliny said, and we'll go in together.