| Feliciano Béjar's Magiscopio | |
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Origin |
Feliciano Béjar Ruíz |
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Type |
"Magiscopio" glass sculpture |
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Effects |
Distorts and warps surroundings |
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Downsides |
Temporary damage |
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Activation |
Shining light through lens |
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Section |
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| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Feliciano Béjar Ruíz was a Mexican artist and artisan, best known for a style of sculpture called “magiscopios” which involved various materials along with crystals and/or lenses to play with light or create distorted visions. He was born in rural central Mexico and was completely self-taught as an artist. The magiscopes arose from an intense interest in light and the sun, which began when he saw a boy in Italy playing with reflections of the sun in puddles. Images of the sun appeared in his painting and sculpture, developing into the use of crystals and lenses.
The magiscopios brought Béjar fame and many of them were copied and reproduced; however, their popularity meant that no one wanted to see his paintings, which bothered him. The popularity also meant that he stopped making them from scraps, especially when he was hired as an artist-in-residence for Carburandum in the US, their first from Latin America. He signed a contract for five years which allowed him to work at their factory and work with larger pieces of materials. His last major completed work was a series of 120 magiscopios.
Effects[]
When light is shone through the glass lens, the area it hits becomes warped and distorted in the same manner as it would be seen if viewed through the lens. This effect is temporary, and the affected area will return to normal once the light is removed.
The distorting effect can cause significant structural instability in buildings and significant discomfort to living things. Natural sunlight has a slightly different effect, causing the distortions to undulate and "dance" in waves.