Ecuador-based artist Oscar Santillan presents the brilliant effect of light being cast through an ornate window for his installation titled Daybreak by simply sanding paint off of a wall and redistributing the powdery residue on the floor. This clever technique that requires nothing more than a scraping tool exhibits an effective visual illusion that plays with light, shadow, and perspective.
Santillan scratches away at his chosen canvas, a painted wall, exposing a concrete base underneath the coat of white paint. He craftily peels away at the surface to reveal the silhouette of an elaborately designed and gated window. Like a stained glass window in a cathedral, there is a brilliant glow than emanates from the faux opening as created through a spotlight on the scraped wall.
The effect of light seeping in is heightened by Santillan’s simulated pattern on the ground that echoes the silhouette of the window using the dust from the paint that has been shaved off. The fine powder silhouette is even displayed at a slant, giving the illusion of the sun’s rays hitting the window from an angle.
