A chemist at work

In a period of constant innovation of digital art tools allowing makers to explore never-imagined possibilities, Assmann explicitly dives into the natural properties materials already possess. ‘Material qualities change when influenced by temperature, chemicals, and moisture, or through processes such as crystallisation, evaporation and oxidation of metals’, Assmann explains. At a first glance, it is easy to assume that her work is digital, but her installations serve as a reminder of how rich our world already is with the endless wonders hidden behind natural phenomena. The seek for light-related visual effects such as reflection, refraction, diffraction, and interference - so often achieved digitally - are alluringly obtained through researching natural transition processes. Instead of algorithms, different materials and physiological phenomena are used to manipulate the behaviour of light waves: ‘Due to the experimental nature of my work, it often takes several years for an artwork to develop.’

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Assmann’s skills expand into continuously experimenting with cinematic apparatus such as projector, image, sound, space, and embodied experience. In doing so, she seeks to challenge the boundaries of cinema and rejects the traditional one-way relationship between the audience and the screen. One example of how this is done is ‘Solace’, for which she developed her own screens.

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‘Solace’ contains mediums to manipulate monumental  liquid-soap membranes. ‘This cinematic and kinetic installation consists of two vast soap membranes that are mechanically extruded from a solution to create screens.’ A fascinating aspect is how such screens are momentary, lasting as long as the soap membrane holds. The fragile characteristics of soap challenge the usual timelessness of cinematic practices; the soap films show their inner iridescent changing colours, turning the often-so-simple act of observing a film, into a dynamic reflection of how ephemeral our experiences in this world are. 

From planetary galaxies to the microscopic

Through her work, Assmann seeks to conjure images that explore, or as she explains herself: ‘that evoke the cosmos, planetary galaxies or the microscopic’. Quite abstract, but it comes from the idea that there are recurring patterns in every level of existence. We are invited to look at them more closely through her work while experiencing different forms of perception in an abstract manner. In other words, we are invited into a journey of exploring how humans, animals, and both earthly and planetary systems relate in multiple ways.

Her permanent public art work ‘Turmoil’ encapsulates this relationship between nature and human. The video sculpture in itself is placed in a huge white blank space canvas, which is in fact a parking garage in Groningen - a space easily associated with a serious and office-like environment. This sense of containment is abruptly interfered with by a colourful, shapely, and playful sculpture floating gracefully in the middle of the space. A childlike sense of curiosity awakes when looking at it, and the eyes (consequently the mind) are guided into twirls and infinite possibilities. ‘The work derives from fire tornados that are fueled by forest fires and turbulence seen on a larger scale, such as planetary storms on the surface of Jupiter and the chaotic flow patterns and vortices found in fluids, air, and erosion on the earth’s surface.’ Turmoil reflects on the phenomenon of turbulence in its multiple forms, making the audience feel a sense of internal uneasiness - metaphorically related to the times society lives in - while reflecting on the ways the earth and universe are being shaped and altered.

Assmann’s practice seeks to make visitors collectively reflect on themes and experiences common to everyone; from anxiety to hope, from geological aspects to global warming to more complex mysteries such as the passage of time and our existence in relation to other planets and stars. She crafts experiences that mirror reality. Her work ‘Aurora’, for example, contains heat-stained reflective copper sheets as mirror-like elements. With this, different perceptions of reality through distortion, interference, and reconfiguring perspectives are proposed as one closely looks at it.

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Listening to visual music 

In times of human disconnection, Assmann’s practice proposes an alternative way of reaching for mutual understanding. With daily distractions, people often miss those rare opportunities to collectively explore the uncertainties related to being human in a constantly changing and mysterious universe. The beauty and power of Assmann’s work lie in creatively evoking those rare moments through the use of visual tools that are striking to anyone: hyper colours, shapes, sounds, distortions, reflections, etc. The sense of togetherness people may feel when listening to music with one another is one example of what her installations seek to foster; they create necessary refuges, as well as moments for collective understanding.

Assmann’s work is constantly evolving and being exhibited in different spaces throughout a variety of countries. ‘Turmoil’ is a permanent work that can be visited 24/7, located in the parking lot of Forum Groningen. Her recent film ‘Acorán’, with score by experimental sound collective Rotor will be shown coming may at Festival Interstice in Caen, France. The film is an extension of her exploration of natural phenomena, using infrared filters for the footage and field recordings for the score. And for those in The Netherlands, the kinetic sculpture ‘The Abysses of the Scorching Sun’ will be shown during the second edition of the Conflux Festival in Rotterdam coming 15–18 June.