Method Gallery: EXHIBITION PROPOSAL [note: proposal accepted, exhibition scheduled for September-October 2026]

SACRED AND NOBLE: The Alchemy of Beginning

An installation by Fernkopf & Thréinfhir

Overview

SACRED AND NOBLE: The Alchemy of Beginning is an immersive, multidisciplinary installation that explores elemental dualities—light and darkness, origin and void, nature and technology. Through neon light, living organic material, ambient sound, and code-based animation, Fernkopf and Thréinfhir create a poetic environment inviting visitors to meditate on cosmic birth, Deep Time, and the storage of memory.

This collaborative work transforms the gallery into a luminous and solemn shrine—a space for contemplation on ancient landscapes and the origins of the universe.

Installation Description

At the center of the space, a suspended Big Bang abstraction bursts into form using lightweight neon elements. This central light sculpture hovers above a living moss bog, symbolizing a primordial soup.

Echoing this central drama, a Black Hole sculpture occupies the rear gallery wall. Two red cables physically and conceptually connect the Bog to the Black Hole, transmitting pulses of data from sensors within the bog to a microcontroller embedded in the Black Hole.

These transmissions trigger a subtle, ambient sound environment—a synthesized “noise floor” generated from neon transformer hums, digital pulses, and low-frequency waveforms. The soundscape surrounds the visitor, evoking the frequencies of the universe’s origin.

Visitors move around and through this elemental field, immersed in event horizons, wormholes, and portal formscrafted from handmade paper, seaweed, and reeds. These natural materials form organic sculptures interwoven with digital animations and luminous neon tubes.

Materials & Media

  • Custom-shaped neon tubing (noble gas compositions)

  • Monofilament or aircraft cable suspension system

  • Organic matter: moss, seaweed, reeds (ethically sourced & returned to nature)

  • Custom watertight substrate for bog housing

  • Microcontrollers and sensors, wired with red insulated cable

  • Handmade paper structures, natural fibers

  • Code-generated animations (projection or screens)

  • Low-volume sound system for ambient soundscape

Artist Collaboration

Fernkopf brings expertise in light-based abstraction and neon fabrication. They will design and construct the suspended Big Bang forms using noble gas-filled tubes and lightweight armatures.

Thréinfhir contributes work in organic systems, sculptural electronics, and environmental themes. They will design the Bog, install and program the electronic systems, and create the Black Hole sculpture.

The installation is a true dialogue between material and narrative—where neon, code, moss, and memory intersect in real time.

Spatial Requirements

  • Minimum gallery space: 20' x 20' floor area

  • Ceiling mounts for suspension elements

  • Power access (120V) for neon transformers, microcontrollers, and audio

  • Low lighting or dimmable gallery conditions preferred

  • Ventilation appropriate for moss/plant care (low-humidity controlled environment)

Visitor Experience

The installation is immersive, meditative, and multisensory. Visitors will move slowly through a landscape where sound, light, and nature converge in a cosmological dialogue. The environment encourages a contemplative pacing—offering moments of wonder, intimacy, and quiet reflection.

Each visitor becomes part of the energy circuit as they move through the symbolic terrain of creation, collapse, memory, and myth.

Sustainability & Ethics

  • All moss and organic matter will be sustainably harvested and returned to their original environment after the exhibition.

  • All electronic components will have manual on/off switches for simple energy management.

  • Neon elements will be fabricated for reuse or responsible recycling.

Conclusion

SACRED AND NOBLE is a sensory poem—an invocation of cosmic origins through matter and light. A symbolic databank where Black Holes, moss bogs, and digital pulses become portals into Deep Time and stored memory.

This installation reimagines the gallery as a sanctuary—a ritual space where scientific awe and spiritual depth meet in luminous, organic communion.