isaac cordal cages isolated miniatures in the modern outdoors

isaac cordal cages isolated miniatures in the modern outdoors
all images courtesy of isaac cordal

‘many years ago, I imagined a party full of people, where no one communicated with each other.’ writes artist isaac cordal as he describes his latest urban work. ‘there was a warmth due to the presence of bodies, but there was no communication. there was a noise of the overlapping conversations, but the conversations were not between the people present. they were all communicating with someone in the outside world through their mobile phones.’ 

miniature men stand isolated on balconies attached to the side of a residential building

this surreal yet strangely familiar scenario led cordal to complete his latest miniatures installation on the streets of lodz, poland. ‘sasiedzi’ — meaning ‘neighbors’ in polish — reflects on our new relationship with the outdoors, now that technology has pervaded nearly every aspect of social existence and interaction. what cordal describes as ‘the new modern outdoors’ is related more to virtual spaces and experiences, rather than physical and human counterparts.

a lonely figure gazes downward from the balcony on which he stands

the installation presented for the lodz 4 cultures festival sees a grid of cage-like balconies attached to a building façade. within the units, single miniature figures are trapped, some intently staring at their phones and making calls, others vacantly staring at each other from an inaccessible distance. ‘never before have we been so connected one to the other yet at the same time being so isolated’, cordal continues.

a grid of terraces lines the building façade 

a miniature man looks at his smartphone while isolated on his balcony

more miniatures concentrating on their technology devices

the tiny figures gaze expressionless from their lonely positions

one figure checks his phone 

another miniature talks on the phone 

a wall of tiny cages lines the side of the building