Capellini’s new site-specific project, exhibited in the gymnasium of Liceu Camões in Lisbon, draws on the idea that what appears empty - formless and void - is in fact a field teeming with potential. This vision is inspired by the principles of quantum physics and the Hermetic axiom As Above, So Below - suggesting a correspondence between the microcosm and the macrocosm, between the inner and outer worlds.
In the quantum vacuum, even when it seems that nothing exists, so-called virtual particles emerge: fluctuations, oscillations, energetic fields. This emptiness is only apparent - constantly in motion. Likewise, in the mind, even when all thoughts are cleared, something remains. A subtle residue. Yet undeniably present.
The two large paintings suspended in the middle of the gymnasium serve as metaphors for the relationship between the visible and the invisible. The installation, “UNIVERSAL FIELD” explores the dual nature of reality - an idea at the heart of quantum theory, where phenomena exist both as particles and waves, depending on whether or not they are observed.
Light - the key element of the work - is both wave and particle it becomes the central subject of the installation. Not only physically but symbolically, illuminating the conceptual foundation of the project.
The gymnasium, a space bathed in natural light, becomes an active participant in the artwork: an open stage for metaphysical reflection.
Some of the scientific theories that influence Capellini’s practice - such as those by Anton Zeilinger and Erwin Schrödinger - propose that the universe is structured not only by matter and energy, but also by information and consciousness. Capellini embraces these ideas as lenses through which to imagine new ways of representing reality, seeking connections between what we perceive and what remains unseen. If consciousness is indeed a fundamental force of the universe, it may be the invisible thread linking all aspects of existence - uniting the quantum realm with the cosmic scale.
As above, so below: as in the mind, so in reality. As if the mind were a reflection of the cosmos, and the cosmos a projection of the mind. Two mirrored expressions of the same universal consciousness.
“What we perceive as reality now depends on our prior decision on what to measure. A deeply profound message about the nature of reality and our role in the universe.”
— Anton Zeilinger
“The total number of minds in the universe is one. In fact, consciousness is a singularity phasing within all beings.”
— Erwin Schrödinger
