Deconstruct. Decontextualize. Words that artists like to use when describing the techniques and intellectual positioning of their works.

Here we find SpY doing a lot of both.

First, he pulls the humble barrier tape away from its original context – which is to provide a visual warning to stay away from a potentially dangerous place. Then he deconstructs the actual roll of tape, turning it from long continuous spans of red and white into a sort of fringe field hanging from cables just above your head.

With the addition of waterfront breezes and your gentle dances beneath, this installation of “Barrier Tape” in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is a fully interactive kinetic and sound sculpture. The 1,600-meter installation is drawing a lot of attention to this location because it is bright and makes a rustling sound reminding you perhaps of leaves. It also brandishes a sense of emergency or danger, but you’re not sure why.

“Inside the piece, the repeated element takes the viewer into a transitory state of disorientation,” says the artist Spy.

“The pieces of tape swing in unison with the wind, creating a wave-like motion throughout the composition and generating an intense, random soundscape.”

SpY would like to thank “r1” for his inspiration and support.