They Shine, 2007, reflects urban myths and personal hypotheses. From outside a perimeter fence we see a choreography of thousands moving solar panel mirrors slowly revolve, reflecting their surroundings- they occupy the whole of the frame. Here the presentation with the looped 35mm projector is holding against this militaristic science fiction.
The film is part of Rosa Barba’s trilogy of the Mojave Desert, which occupies an area of 22,000 square miles, covering parts of southern California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada in the United States. In They Shine, the artist depicts a landscape shaped by man’s attempts to capture the desert heat. The desert, which was previously used for military purposes, today houses one of the world’s largest solar power plants.
See the exhibition at the Tate Modern here.
