Shift Original

Animation, video projection, styrene
50 x 26 x 1/8 in (127 x 66 x 0.3 cm)

For "Shift", Philippe Safire stitched a replica of the American flag from white and translucent materials. An animation—consisting of text, red, blue, and white squares and rectangles—is projected onto a gaping pixelated hole. While colors illuminate the center, the sculpture appears to dissolve into the surrounding light. The chaotic movement of the animation collides with the organized structure of the Stars and Stripes, affecting its integrity. As an iconic object, the American flag is well known to the viewer, but "Shift" evokes a transitional state of tension, where history is reevaluated in the Digital Age.