Meta-Kaleidoscopic Optics
The work “Meta-Kaleidoscopic Optics” is an installation that explores the transformation of perception and aesthetic experience by combining analog and digital media. The central structure consists of three joined kaleidoscopes ($\phi$10 cm × 50 cm) mounted on a metal support with circular tracing paper projection surfaces, which receive three distinct video projections. Each video represents a phase in the evolution of optical media: from early illusion technologies that generated motion from static images to contemporary digital and AI-generative graphics.
The installation creates two distinct experiences for the viewer: a front-facing projection of three circular videos and a rear view through small apertures, where the kaleidoscopic mirrors reproduce geometric, repeating patterns, offering a complex aesthetic experience. The movement, symmetry, and repetition of these motifs transform observation into contemplation, while the connection between past and present, analog and digital, real and imaginary, reinforces the concept of continuous transformation.
The installation aims to activate the viewer’s perception and attention, turning complex and invisible image processes into a lived, experiential encounter.
Sophia Damala | GR
Sophia Damala is an Athens-based visual artist whose work spans a wide range of media, including installations, fresco applications, painting, printmaking, and a broad spectrum of digital art forms. Her practice explores the human psyche, the concept of the “ego,” social structures, and the philosophical questions arising from contemporary life. Through her work, she composes form, space, and concept into multi-layered ensembles, bridging theoretical reflection with aesthetic experience. She investigates how synthesis and spiritual inquiry can be integrated into artistic forms to serve as essential tools for understanding and expression in the modern world.
She studied Fine Arts at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Athens School of Fine Arts, from which she graduated with honors in 2022. In 2025, she completed her Master’s degree in the “Digital Art Forms” postgraduate program.
Sophia teaches painting and drawing, preparing candidates for Fine Arts academies. She has collaborated with departments of the Ministry of Culture on artistic productions regarding national heritage, as well as with the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum on art-based psychological empowerment programs. Furthermore, she has served as a Substitute Art Teacher in public primary schools in Athens.
Her work has been featured in group exhibitions both in Greece and abroad, and is held in private collections and venues such as The Lexington Hotel in New York. She has been honored with the “Elpis Program” scholarship by OiOmKo and awarded 1st Prize at the EUbyLakes residency (Belgium) for her work on biodiversity. In 2023, her participation in the biennial exhibition “Theorems 3” by the International Association of Art Critics (AICA – Greek Section) received critical acclaim in the press.