Thin Film
Jonas von Ostrowski
Marta Riniker-Radich
Curated by Konstantin Lannert
I.
A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer (monolayer) to several micrometers in thickness. The controlled synthesis of materials as thin films (a process referred to as deposition) is a fundamental step in many applications. A familiar example is the household mirror, which typically has a thin metal coating on the back of a sheet of glass to form a reflective interface. The process of silvering was once commonly used to produce mirrors, while more recently the metal layer is deposited using techniques such as sputtering. Advances in thin film deposition techniques during the 20th century have enabled a wide range of technological breakthroughs in areas such as magnetic recording media, electronic semiconductor devices, integrated passive devices, light-emitting diodes, optical coatings (such as antireflective coatings), hard coatings on cutting tools, and for both energy generation (e.g. thin-film solar cells) and storage (thin-film batteries). It is also being applied to pharmaceuticals, via thin-film drug delivery. A stack of thin films is called a multilayer.
In addition to their applied interest, thin films play an important role in the development and study of materials with new and unique properties. Examples include multiferroic materials, and superlattices that allow the study of quantum phenomena.
II.
The thin film lowered over his eyes like a veil, immersing everything in a new light. He was gripped by doubt: had the signs just been altered, the polarity of the essence reversed? Was it the surfaces themselves that had changed? Or had something been finely dispersed over them, a gentle brushstroke that covered the entire scene? Was the hard now soft, the reflective dull?
He slowly took in his surroundings, attempting to capture a visibile layer that separated inner from outer, or perhaps merged the two together. Did the layers settle on things or were they constantly peeling away?
On closer inspection, the space became increasingly unclear, the contours and outlines oscillating hazily into a foggy whole. He tried to wrap his head around how he was actually meant to grasp what was before him—via the retina or through a stroke of the fingertips.
The thin film smeared the world in a taut layer.
It did not tear.
III.
“Que era, então, a vida? Era calor, o calor produzido pela instabilidade preservadora da forma; era uma febre da matéria, que acompanhava o processo de incessante decomposição e reconstituição de moléculas de albumina, insubsistentes pela complicação e pela engenhosidade de sua estrutura. (…) Não era nem matéria nem espírito. Era qualquer coisa entre os dois, um fenómeno sustentado pela matéria, tal e qual o arco-íris sobre a queda-d’água, e igual à chama. Mas, se bem não fosse material, era sensual até a volúpia e até o asco, o impudor da natureza tornada irritável e sensível com respeito a si própria, e a forma lasciva do ser.”
Thomas Mann (Montanha Mágica)
Jonas von Ostrowski
1
„I must say that I do“
Grease and dirt on machine-woven polyester fabric on wood and steel
ca. 90x25x25 cm
2
„I’m afraid I don’t“
Grease and dirt on machine-woven polyester fabric on wood and steel
ca. 80x70x30 cm
3
„Untitled“
Machine-woven polyester fabric on wood and steel
12 pieces each 70x70x9 cm
4
„LA Barn Chair (Prototype)“
Machine-woven polyester fabric on wood and steel
ca. 60x85x90cm
Marta Riniker-Radich
1
„Physical Assets Are Always the Last Resort”, 2024
Mixed media on paper
21 x 29,7 cm
2
„Physical Assets Are Always the Last Resort”, 2022
Mixed media on paper
21 x 29,7cm
3
„Physical Assets Are Always the Last Resort”, 2022
Mixed media on paper
21 x 29,7cm
4
„Er kommt sich einsam vor. Vielleicht, weil er es auch ist.”, 2024
Inkjet print on paper, 19 x 25,4 cm
Pigment powder on paper, 21 x 29,7 cm
5
„Untitled”, 2024
Colored pencil and pencil on paper, 21 x 29,7 cm
Mixed media on paper, 14,8 x 21 cm
6
„Berta”, 2024
Colored pencil and pencil on paper
21 x 29,7cm
