Text by Neshy Denton
In certain aspects, when the invisible becomes tangible, the sole purpose of remaining unseen consequently proves the perspective’s big role in such condition. More momentously, it gives said object, individual or thing that finds itself in lack of sight, the need to remain conscious of its trivial part in the universe. The mere mention of a void concedes a consolidation in itself, giving it a somewhat different significance than it originally had.
In this sense, Jésus Baptista—winner of this year’s SEMIBREVE Edigma Award for his installation 8.33, Perception de l’invisible—offers far more than an audiovisual piece. Engaging with unseen forms and our perception of existence, Baptista embodies this dialogue, bringing water and steel into a rare and harmonious equation.
The presence of water, over time, became a restorative element for him — an essential refuge he seeks in the frozen pauses between travel and work. Not merely for the calm it evokes, but for its capacity to move, to shift, and to adapt seamlessly to its surroundings, water emerges as a near-perfect metaphor for the way human beings tend to be. However, the water’s appearance in the installation finds a different approach for interpretation: In 8.33, it symbolises the element that reveals the invisible, our connection to it, through the reflections it creates.
However, as an artist whose identity is in constant flux, shaped by the interplay between the industrial landscapes of his Parisian upbringing and the organic roots of his family heritage, Baptista admits: I don’t believe my identity will ever reach a final stage. Each journey, each chapter of life, continues to shape and enrich it. I’m fortunate to live between three countries, and that plurality has become part of who I am. As you can observe, for Baptista, identity is an ongoing enigma, not one to be resolved, but continuously reframed by movement and the untamed insignificance of what it means to exist in this world.
The installation 8.33, Perception de l’invisible narrows down to a rock monolith with a lightning bolt cracking down its middle. Surrounded by eight water-filled crates and lit totems, the piece is accompanied by Amadeo Savio’s dousing soundtrack, designed to accompany every vibration and cosmic particle we’ve come to understand as a reflection of ourselves in the installation. Baptista refers to them as “God particles,” a fitting metaphor for us humans, who, in our vanity, seek to interact without necessarily leaving a mark. Exceptionally so, he unsugar-coats our need to feel purpose in the scale of our universe, who, quite matter-of-factly, redeem no sort of glory regardless of our intelligence to realise so.
The sound was created in collaboration with Amadeo Savio, my creative partner since 2020. The idea was to link each sound with a cosmic particle, giving it a frequency, a luminous trace, and a vibration. For 4 minutes and 32 seconds, visitors experience the presence of these cosmic particles through four recurring sounds that generate vibrations and light. At 4 minutes and 33 seconds, a nod to John Cage, lightning strikes, and from there, all elements come into communion within the composition. Baptista elaborates during our conversation.
Uncannily, there’s tension between the visible and the hidden, the permanent and the ephemeral. One needs the other to exist, yet both recede in agreement. Through the nature of water and brutality of concrete, this duality finds its resonance in 8.33, the central piece of the installation, titled after the time it takes sunlight to reach the face of the Earth — an intriguing reflection of Baptista himself; what we see from a star has ceased to exist long before its exposure to us, stripping away all notion of permanence.
At the SEMIBREVE Festival, this meditation takes shape as an experience from October 23-26, a fleeting communion between sound, light, and the audience— a quiet reminder that even the invisible, however useless it may seem, leaves a trace on our perception of the world, all the same.
I feel truly honoured to receive the Edigma award in my country of origin, where I spend as much time as possible. It is a source of great pride. I developed at Le Fresnoy – Studio national des arts contemporains over the course of a year. I’m delighted to see it travel, but I’m also working on an expanded version. I see this piece as a “milestone work,” and I hope it will give rise to the next chapter of the project. Baptista reflects.
