VIVARIUM | EPISODE 12
Echo Down the Passage
Part I
2024
True size: 124cm x 94cm
Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Archival pigment print, window frame
Half size: 62cm x 47cm
Edition of 5
Archival pigment print, window frame
EPISODE SYNOPSIS
In a secluded, moonlit grotto, a microcosm unfolds. Light prickles the damp darkness as nascent stars descend. Here, in this world of celestial wonder, we witness the genesis of a life. Yet, this constructed Eden in Echo Down the Passage, born in Dirk Hardy's studio, is a pervasive illusion. Every leaf, every tendril, every seemingly organic detail is crafted from plastic.
Beneath the surface of our individual experiences, a cosmic rhythm beats. Vivarium Episode 12 and 13 stand as counterparts, visual testaments to the eternal dance of energy—never created nor destroyed, but merely transformed. In a way, we are all cosmic heirs, carriers of stardust.
VIVARIUM
Vivarium is an ongoing series of constructed dioramas, called Episodes. With his socially engaged tableaux Hardy studies the complexity and coherence of today’s pressing issues. In the creation of these worlds Hardy fuses his imagination, observations, personal memories and true events. Every Episode has its own topic, such as conspiracy thinking (Episode 11), modern working conditions (Episode 9, Free Delivery), racial profiling (Episode 6, On Guard) and gender roles (Episode 4 and 5, Cinema Il Sogno).
Vivarium is an ongoing project, started in 2018. Every world you see once existed in Hardy’s studio. For each Episode, he meticulously designs, builds and photographs a new world. Hardy creates meaningful narratives through the use of characters, objects and their composition. The final works are full of detail and displayed life-size - one-to-one - in a window frame, sparking a direct encounter between the viewer and subject.
It takes 3 to 4 months to complete a tableau. By addressing a different topic in each Episode while applying a consistent working method, Vivarium is an expanding multiverse of portals where life takes place.
In addition, Vivarium Self-Portraits provide a glimpse into Hardy’s constructed worlds and working-method. They are rooted in his urge to understand and empathize with his characters.