When shadows reveal matter
- Sandy Pouget
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
Updated: May 2
In a world saturated with light, we have almost forgotten the poetry of darkness. This 16 May is International Day of Light, so I propose a counterpoint: a celebration of shadow and its subtle revelations.
In praise of darkness
Light can only be fully understood in its absence. In my studio I've learned to tame this absence, to make it an ally rather than an obstacle. My research into darkness stems from this conviction: black is not an end but a beginning, not an absence but an intense presence that engages in a unique dialogue with light.
When light hits a white surface, it reveals itself completely, without mystery. On a black surface, it becomes selective and precious, choosing what to reveal. It tells a different, more intimate, more subtle story.
"Namib" wall sculpture
Texture & revelation
When working with dark matter, every decision becomes crucial. A texture that may seem insignificant on a bright surface takes on a new, almost dramatic dimension in the depths of black. The cells, striations and irregularities become a tactile and visual language that is only revealed to the patient eye.
The 'Nids d'aliens' texture illustrates this quest. These densely honeycombed surfaces are as much inspired by beehives as they are by imaginary architectures from other worlds. Their waxed surface captures light in precise points, creating a constellation of sparkles that seem to emanate from the material itself rather than reflect it.
Between absence & presence
What interests me in this exploration of darkness is the liminal space, the frontier where perception shifts. That moment when the eye, accustomed to the dark, begins to distinguish nuances where before it saw nothing.
My sculptures play with this ambiguity: are they objects that absorb light or entities that generate it in their own way? This question is deliberately left unanswered because it is in this uncertainty that their evocative power lies.
Space applications
For interior designers and architects, working with black materials offers possibilities that are often untapped. A black textured wall doesn't just create a background - it becomes a depth, a horizon, sometimes even a portal to an imaginary elsewhere.
Black textures can be used to create transitional zones, visual breathing spaces that paradoxically expand the perception of a place rather than limit it. They act as anchor points, structuring the space and giving it a poetic dimension.
An invitation to touch
In an increasingly virtual world, textured black reaffirms the importance of the tactile. It's not enough to see these pieces - you feel an urgent need to touch them, to verify through contact what the eye struggles to fully define.
This invitation to touch is at the heart of my approach. To create objects that engage all the senses, that exist fully in the physical world and not simply as images to be looked at.
Black Polyp'-Light sculpture
Conclusion : Towards a new sensibility
Exploring the expressive potential of black is not simply an aesthetic exercise - it's an invitation to develop a different sensibility, to slow down our gaze, to accept that certain beauties can only be revealed with patience.
In an age of immediacy and overexposure, these works offer an alternative experience: one of gradual discovery, of subtle revelation, of wonder born not of the spectacular but of deep attention.Black is not an end but a beginning. Not a limit, but a threshold.
I invite you to discover my work at the next Révélations exhibition or contact me to explore together how these textures can transform your spaces.
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