Spirit Level

A spirit level is a deceptively simple yet almost magical tool—a sealed glass tube containing water and a single air bubble. Its purpose is to measure balance. However, the balance it measures is an illusion, contingent on external factors such as gravity, surface stability, and even environmental conditions like temperature. While the spirit level presents itself as an objective instrument, its accuracy depends on fluctuating variables. The bubble’s movement aligns with gravitational pull, assuming the field is stable and the surface below is steady.

In Spirit Level, this idea of conditional balance is transported to the depths of the Earth, into a cavern carved by the debris of time and matter. Beneath Naples, a city with roots stretching back over 2,800 years, an underground chamber becomes both womb and witness. Here, life and destruction coexist, fueled by the cave’s natural humidity. When artist Vibeke Mascini and I first visited this subterranean world, curators Alessandra Troncone and Chiara Pirozzi explained the site’s constraints. The cave’s conditions limited the materials that could inhabit the space. But out of this so-called limitation—and inspired by the region’s rich historical and mythical layers—Spirit Level emerged. We chose to work with the site’s humidity, extracting water directly from the atmosphere.

Extraction of the Invisible

Water on Earth has a dual origin: cosmic and terrestrial. Some of it likely arrived via icy comets, asteroids, and interstellar dust, colliding with the young planet and contributing to its oceans and atmosphere. But Earth’s belly also generates water. Deep within the mantle, hydrogen trapped in minerals combines with oxygen under immense pressure and heat, producing water that volcanic activity eventually releases to the surface.

Water embodies a state of perpetual flux—shifting forms, moving through ecosystems, and cycling between biological and geological realms. The water we encounter today is ancient, yet constantly renewing itself, embodying both continuity and transformation.

This cyclical, enduring nature of water became central to our work. We conceived a sculptural dehumidifier, extracting moisture from the cave air. The resulting water was stored in speculative instruments—glass vessels attached to leather objects traditionally designed to support or correct the body. These pieces challenge the spirit level’s formal function, placing it in dialogue with the body’s perpetual quest for equilibrium.

Collaboration and Gratitude

Spirit Level is a collaborative project with Vibeke Mascini, curated by Alessandra Troncone and Chiara Pirozzi for their program Underneath the Arches.

Exhibition Details
Spirit Level
18 October – 1 December 2024
Acquedotto Augusteo del Serino
Via Arena Sanità 5
Naples, Italy

I am immensely grateful to Alessandra and Chiara for their trust, enthusiasm, and respect throughout the artistic process, and for inviting us to create a new, site-specific work. One of the greatest joys of this career is the opportunity to forge deep connections with artists I admire, like Vibeke Mascini—thank you for inviting me on this journey.

Special thanks to Viviane Stroede, Berlin Glassworks, and Jannetje Jeanine for their remarkable glasswork contributions.

This project was realized in partnership with Aqua Augusta, with the support of the Mondriaan Fund, Berlin’s Senate Department for Culture and Community, the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Morra Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Fondazione Donnaregina for Contemporary Art and the patronage of the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples.

For more insights into the exhibition, you can read a thoughtful review on Juliet Art Magazine

Photos by Maurizio Esposito