Fibonacci 1202

Fibonacci 1202 is a piece by Mario Merz in the DMA's Silence and Time show. It consists of 11 photographs of a restaurant, each with a different number of people in it. The number of people corresponds with the fibonacci sequence, (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34), so that there are no people in first picture, one person in the next two and so on. Above the photos are the numbers of the fibonacci sequence in neon lights. The photos are in black and white which contrast with the bright lights above them.

Merz uses that Fibonacci sequence to show the progression of time. The restaurant seems to fill with people naturally as one looks at each photo. The fibonacci sequence is traditionally used in art as a composition to guide the eye throughout the piece. Here, however, it is used as a way to guide the mind through the passage of time. The fibonacci sequence is also often found in nature as a formula for growth patterns and lends an organic feeling to the growth of patrons in this piece.

This piece relates directly to the theme of time in the Silence and Time exhibition. Time is shown in this piece through a series of photographs of a restaurant as it is filled with people. This piece shows time almost concretely; it is more similar to a comic strip than the other, more abstract, pieces of the exhibition. By describing time concretely, using both the simple layout and the fibonacci sequence, Merz shows that time is an idea that can be felt and understood by people rather than being an unobservable concept. Merz makes time seem tangible to the viewer. He specifically chooses a restaurant, a setting that is familiar to many people, in order to show time in this way. There are many other ways of showing the progression of time but the idea of people filling a restaurant is instantly recognizable to the viewer which helps him make his point.