Material Imagination: A Sketch for an Atmospheric Sculpture
Session
Art and Digital Media
Description
This paper seeks to construct a symbiotic relationship between discursive and artistic practices. In essence, it brings to light the implications of emerging forms of artistic expression and examines how these forms are conceptualized within a broader discursive horizon. Grounded in this intentional syntony between art and discourse, the paradigmatic shift that reconfigures our mode of perception is illuminated through the lens of phenomenology, which raises a fundamental and pressing question: “What is visible in the thing, and what is the visibility of the thing?” (Merleau-Ponty). The attempt to address these questions guides us toward a more expansive understanding of visibility—an understanding situated within a horizon that is neither confined to space or time, nor entirely external to them, but rather, manifests as a topography, a landscape that remains as yet unexplored. This new theoretical context created enables us to grasp new sculptural forms, which, perhaps in accordance with contemporary trends, can be seen in what is known as “fog sculpture.” However, beyond this artistic trend stands the work of our artist, Burim Berisha, who challenges us with what we might define as “atmospheric sculpture.” Drawing on Bachelard’s discursive tool of material imagination, this form of art penetrates an intimate topology, where both the used and imagined materials speak for themselves. These are not closed forms; rather, they invite us into agony between perception and sensibility. Berisha’s approach is not traditional — it is innovative. It consists of a fourfold practice: the use of everyday materials, words, sound, and smoke. This mode of artistic manifestation embodies temporality, a fracture of memory that is both personal and collective. Ultimately the form of atmospheric sculpture does not allow us to observe it from a distance — on the contrary, it invites us to see through it, with it, and within it.
Keywords:
Material Imagination, Atmospheric Sculpture, Art Practice, Discursive Practice, Phenomenology, Perception, Sensibility
Proceedings Editor
Edmond Hajrizi
ISBN
978-9951-982-41-2
Location
UBT Kampus, Lipjan
Start Date
25-10-2025 9:00 AM
End Date
26-10-2025 6:00 PM
DOI
10.33107/ubt-ic.2025.29
Recommended Citation
Berisha, Burim and Kelmendi, Labinot, "Material Imagination: A Sketch for an Atmospheric Sculpture" (2025). UBT International Conference. 1.
https://knowledgecenter.ubt-uni.net/conference/2025UBTIC/ADM/1
Material Imagination: A Sketch for an Atmospheric Sculpture
UBT Kampus, Lipjan
This paper seeks to construct a symbiotic relationship between discursive and artistic practices. In essence, it brings to light the implications of emerging forms of artistic expression and examines how these forms are conceptualized within a broader discursive horizon. Grounded in this intentional syntony between art and discourse, the paradigmatic shift that reconfigures our mode of perception is illuminated through the lens of phenomenology, which raises a fundamental and pressing question: “What is visible in the thing, and what is the visibility of the thing?” (Merleau-Ponty). The attempt to address these questions guides us toward a more expansive understanding of visibility—an understanding situated within a horizon that is neither confined to space or time, nor entirely external to them, but rather, manifests as a topography, a landscape that remains as yet unexplored. This new theoretical context created enables us to grasp new sculptural forms, which, perhaps in accordance with contemporary trends, can be seen in what is known as “fog sculpture.” However, beyond this artistic trend stands the work of our artist, Burim Berisha, who challenges us with what we might define as “atmospheric sculpture.” Drawing on Bachelard’s discursive tool of material imagination, this form of art penetrates an intimate topology, where both the used and imagined materials speak for themselves. These are not closed forms; rather, they invite us into agony between perception and sensibility. Berisha’s approach is not traditional — it is innovative. It consists of a fourfold practice: the use of everyday materials, words, sound, and smoke. This mode of artistic manifestation embodies temporality, a fracture of memory that is both personal and collective. Ultimately the form of atmospheric sculpture does not allow us to observe it from a distance — on the contrary, it invites us to see through it, with it, and within it.