Gold Digger explores the world of curiosity and the desire for discovery

Gold Digger is an installation that explores the world of curiosity and the desire for discovery. This was the theme of the 2021 edition of the "A Cel Obert" festival, a festival of ephemeral architecture that has taken place every year since 2014 in the city of Tortosa, in Catalonia. The festival aims to use ephemeral art to transform an unknown historical space into a stage for artistic creations, recovering the architectural heritage of the city. The installation is located in the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènec dels Reials Colégis. This space is a legacy of the 16th century, a period of economic and social splendor of the city, and was used to educate the Moors. The composition of the work consists of a large sheet made up of 112 thermal blankets that occupies the space of the Patio de Sant Jordi and Sant Domènech. The installation tries to highlight the intrinsic property of the material to create two different faces, which symbolize the duality between two spaces: cold-warm, light-shadow, gold-silver. The golden side of the fabric faces the interior of the courtyard, while the silver side faces the building. In this way, a marked chromatic difference is created between the external and internal space of the courtyard. The canvas is suspended 1.30 meters from the ground and is perforated in strategic points with circular holes of 60 centimeters in diameter that allow the passage of light. The first impression the user has upon entering the installation is that of a dark and cold space caused by the silver face of the fabric. However, the points of light produced by the holes invite the user to explore what is on the other side. To reach the light, the user must necessarily bend over and enter under the canvas. Peering through one of the holes, the user discovers the bright world inside the courtyard, generated by the golden side of the fabric. Once inside, the user can also appreciate the statues of the kings peeking out through the other holes in the deck. Furthermore, the constant breeze from Tortosa moves the fabric and this movement creates new light reflections and produces a sound similar to that of the waves of the sea. The color and effect of the installation changes according to the time of day. At noon, the light enters directly from above and the reflection on the canvas dazzles the viewer. At sunset, on the other hand, the golden color of the canvas takes on new, more muted and rosy shades. Visitors had the opportunity to actively interact with the installation, not only appreciating the sculptural details of the Renaissance courtyard ornament, but also interacting with the other spectators who visited the installation. The installation won the prize awarded by the jury as the best installation of the 2021 edition of the festival.