The miracle of the sun

“The miracle of the sun” is a three-channel video installation that takes as its starting point the famous “Miracle of the Sun” in Fátima, a visual phenomenon observed by thousands of people in 1917 and popularly associated with a Marian apparition. This event, described as an anomalous movement of the Sun and a shower of colored lights, has been interpreted both as a divine manifestation and as a neuropsychological phenomenon resulting from prolonged ocular exposure to sunlight. Throughout the so-called “Marian Century,” similar events were documented in Europe, particularly in rural contexts marked by political, religious, and social tensions of the twentieth century.

The artistic work is constructed around a contemporary pilgrimage to three locations where these phenomena have been reported: Fehrbach (Germany), Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Fátima (Portugal). Using various analog media — Super 8 and 16 mm — manually altered, the project explores the fragility of human perception and the difficulty of representing the extraordinary. In dialogue with amateur videos found online and accompanied by oral testimonies and historical documentation, the work invites reflection on the fine line separating faith and science, vision and belief, document and experience.

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Project text by Sergi Álvarez Riosalido

Project text by Montse Badia

Project produced with the support of the Ezequiel Torroella Biennial, Sant Andreu Contemporani, Kunststiftung BW, Hangar, and the Goethe-Institut Barcelona; with sound collaboration by Teresa W ･:｡.｡:･゜ﾟ･*