​LIFEMATTERS

​YOLY’s installation LIFEMATTERS invites viewers to reflect and become aware that every life is precious and that every life deserves and must be treated with the utmost respect. It consists of 42 red and white lanterns suspended at varying heights above a mirrored floor within an 8-cubic-meter cube. The installation embodies a rhythm defined by Yoly, whereby initially all the lanterns are brightly lit, thus embodying celebration, joy, and exuberance, but also a sense of belonging and togetherness. 
Yet the festive mood is clouded; over time, one or more lanterns gradually go out simultaneously, accompanied by a startling sound. Additional confusion is caused by lanterns made of the same material but differently designed, which lie unlit on the mirrored floor outside the cube. 
Thus, viewers are confronted with questions: 

• ​Who or what decides whether and for how long the lanterns are allowed to shine or belong, since they are all made of the same material and powered by the same energy?
• Who has the right to judge which lanterns are more important and valuable?
• Is violence being used here to ruthlessly extinguish, push aside, or exclude?

​An installation that mirrors violent processes, with a clear counterposition: Every life counts; every life is valuable.