Exploring visual harmonies through liquid screens with Bego M. Santiago

In this interview, artist Bego M. Santiago discusses the creative process behind her series Cosmos: All That is Ordered. Cosmos: All That is Ordered is a series of installations that blends sacred geometry, science, and spirituality, creating hypnotic and introspective experiences.

Listen to this podcast to learn about:

• The conceptual development of Cosmos: All That is Ordered and its use of sacred geometry to blend science with spirituality.
• The influence of Pythagorean cosmology in Bego's work and how she uses it to explore the harmony between chaos and order.
• Why Bego decided to develop her work as an ongoing series of installations.
• How Bego approaches the challenges of working with liquid screens and achieving a holographic effect.

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Highlights

• (01:54) Bego provides an overview of Cosmos: All That is Ordered, describing its elements.
• (06:00) Bego discusses her inspirations for the series, focusing on sacred geometry and its significance.
• (10:34) Balancing the elements of chaos and harmony.
• (14:37) Bego explains the technical process of developing liquid screens and prototyping.
• (18:00) The importance of collaboration with experts in refining the installations.
• (20:45) How scholarly research and reading shaped the development of Cosmos.
• (24:12) Audience reactions to Bego's work.
• (27:50) The influence of Pythagorean philosophy and its connection to the themes explored in the series.
• (30:22) Bego shares the challenges and lessons learned from the project.

About Bego M. Santiago

Bego M. Santiago is a visual artist born in Santiago de Compostela, working between Europe and the United States. Her practice spans various disciplines, from photography to scenography, with a focus on new media art and immersive installations. Bego's work investigates the boundaries between reality and representation, often through the use of light and holographic effects.

Key Takeaways from this interview with Bego M. Santiago

Exploring sacred geometry

Cosmos: All That is Ordered uses sacred geometry as a conceptual foundation, drawing on Pythagorean cosmology to create experiences that are both immersive and reflective. The installations aim to evoke emotions and introspection by integrating geometric symbolism with artistic expression.

The technical challenges of liquid screens

Bego discusses the challenges she faced when developing liquid screens for the series, such as finding water-resistant materials that could maintain the desired visual effect. She also shares insights on how collaboration with experts helped refine these installations.

Scholarly research as a driving force

For Bego, scholarly research is a vital part of her process. Each project within the Cosmos series emerged from extensive reading and research into geometry, spirituality, and cultural symbolism. This interdisciplinary approach not only shapes the visual elements but also gives depth to the viewer's experience, connecting the rational with the mystical.

Creating a series to explore evolving themes

Originally not intended as a series, Cosmos: All That is Ordered evolved as Bego continued to explore more questions raised by her initial work. This ongoing approach allows her to dive deeper into the themes of harmony, chaos, and the connection between science and spirituality, expanding the possibilities of immersive art.

Links from the podcast  

• Visit Bego M. Santiago's website
• Follow Bego M. Santiago on Instagram
• Watch COSMOS: All That is Ordered
• Explore FOLLOW THE PATH
• Learn more about MATHEMATICS OF GOD

Edited transcript of this interview with Bego M. Santiago

Exploring sacred geometry in immersive media art

Robin Petterd: What is your COSMOS: All That is Ordered series about?

Bego M. Santiago: COSMOS: All That is Ordered is an ongoing series of video installations. Visitors enter a dark space where they encounter mystical vessels, liquid screens, and swirling depths. These vessels act as unique screens—shallow containers filled with water. When projections hit the surface, they create a holographic effect. The concave shape of the vessel works like a lens, reflecting the projected images onto the ceiling.

Bego M. Santiago: In the installation, animated swimmers move across the water, shifting from chaotic motions into structured networks. As I alter the scale of the figures, they become abstract. Their synchronised movements form geometric patterns inspired by symbols from Pythagorean geometry. Visitors have described the experience as hypnotic, relaxing—or sometimes unsettling. The optical effects are designed to create a meditative space, encouraging introspection and evoking the philosophical idea that “what is above is below, and what is within is without.”

Robin Petterd: It’s an incredible description of the piece. Can you share more about how the COSMOS series began?

Bego M. Santiago: I started COSMOS: All That is Ordered in 2016 when Sabina Ritter invited me to participate in a residency program at Museum Part in Bien, Austria. The goal was to develop a new proposal for Sabina’s group exhibition, which had a long title: Mood Strains or Mood Politics: Sentimental Data, Market Sentiments, and Other Sentimentalisms. Her curatorial text was the spark for the early development of the series.

Bego M. Santiago: The exhibition explored how systems we think of as rational—like political decisions or market forces—are actually shaped by emotional mechanisms. My response focused on the connection between science and spirituality. I began researching sacred geometry, mathematical symbols, and spiritual knowledge. These symbols function both as mathematical frameworks and archetypes, as Carl Jung would say. They became the conceptual foundation of the series.

Robin Petterd: You mentioned the connection between mathematics, spirituality, and emotions. How did those themes develop in the series?

Bego M. Santiago: The curatorial text made me reflect on how systems like social media algorithms or political models—while seemingly rational—are driven by emotional strategies: emotional surveillance, fear manipulation, things like that.

Bego M. Santiago: I wanted to explore the deeper historical relationship between science and spirituality, especially from their shared origins. A lot of my research centred on Pythagorean geometry, particularly Johannes Kepler’s Mysterium Cosmographicum, which models the solar system using Platonic solids. Kepler’s approach became a template for designing the animations and structuring the liquid screens.

Bego M. Santiago: Animating these geometries in 3D—and adding the element of time as a fourth dimension—generates harmonious, mandala-like patterns. Their emotional impact feels timeless. Just as a cathedral or a Buddhist mandala evokes awe, these patterns use mathematical harmony to resonate deeply with the human psyche.

How liquid screens create holographic effects in media installations

Robin Petterd: You mentioned the liquid screens as a key element. How did you prototype them, considering how complex they sound?

Bego M. Santiago: They were one of the most technically challenging aspects. Working with water meant we needed materials that were both waterproof and non-reflective. Sourcing a matte black base that absorbed light without interfering with projections was especially hard.

Bego M. Santiago: The early prototypes involved testing concave vessels, experimenting with water and light to produce the desired holographic effect. I collaborated with a yacht-building company in northern Spain. Their expertise with water-resistant materials was crucial.

Bego M. Santiago: We used 3D modelling to refine the vessels’ shape and depth. The final screens created the illusion of deep, dark voids while maintaining their functional purpose. It was expensive, complex, and at times involved toxic materials—so collaboration with experts was essential.

Robin Petterd: It’s intriguing how often the physical components are more challenging than the digital ones. How did you test these screens during development?

Bego M. Santiago: It was a mix of conceptual reference and physical trial. Kepler’s Mysterium Cosmographicum offered a visual starting point. I also used simple theatre props to experiment with shapes and projections in small-scale mockups.

Bego M. Santiago: As things progressed, the yacht-building company helped me translate the 3D models into real materials. They advised on edge thickness, floating illusion, and stability. Their input made a big difference in making the objects work technically and aesthetically.

Bego M. Santiago: The process reminded me of filmmaking—you need many people, each bringing specific skills. That collaborative dynamic shaped the outcome in ways I couldn’t have achieved alone.

Bridging science, spirituality and digital art

Robin Petterd: You’ve used the term “panoramic overflow” in your artist statements. Can you explain what that means?

Bego M. Santiago: The term comes from José Val del Omar, a Spanish artist working in the early 20th century. He was a pioneer—blending film, sound, and invention.

Bego M. Santiago: Val del Omar believed cinema could go beyond the screen. He developed techniques for projecting images and sound across entire rooms. One of his inventions extended images beyond the frame to envelop the viewer. That’s what he meant by panoramic overflow—expanding the sensory field into space.

Bego M. Santiago: His ideas about connecting technology and mysticism really resonate with me. He called his approach “mecha-mystica,” using light and sound to evoke emotion. His work influenced how I think about immersion.

Why COSMOS became a series and how collaboration shaped it

Robin Petterd: Working in a series is common in some art forms but less typical in media art. Why did you decide this needed to be a series?

Bego M. Santiago: Initially, I didn’t. I thought I understood what I was doing after the first work. But the deeper I got, the more questions and surprises emerged. I felt compelled to keep exploring.

Bego M. Santiago: There was also a desire to refine the liquid screens and dive further into the intersection between mathematics and symbolism. I realised that my own perspective was biased—I assumed mathematics had solely Greek origins. But systems of geometry also exist in African, Native American, and Indigenous Australian traditions. That led me to the concept of ethnomathematics.

Bego M. Santiago: The third piece in the series, The Geometers, explores how non-European mathematical systems connect with cosmological visions. Each work opens more questions, which is why the series continues to grow.

Experiencing art beyond language: emotional and spatial resonance

Robin Petterd: For artists interested in immersive installations, what lessons would you share from this project?

Bego M. Santiago: For me, art is a form of knowledge. I approach it like research. With COSMOS: All That is Ordered, I found that mathematics holds deep emotional and spiritual resonance. Those connections aren’t just rational—they’re embodied.

Bego M. Santiago: One key lesson was learning to balance precision with openness. You don’t need to be an expert in everything, but you do need to communicate your vision clearly. Collaborators bring skills you don’t have, and their insights can take your work further.

Bego M. Santiago: Also, art can say things that language can’t. It offers a different kind of knowledge—something you feel and experience.

Robin Petterd: That really speaks to your work. Would you say your installations explore ideas that are difficult to articulate in words?

Bego M. Santiago: Absolutely. There are experiences and emotions that resist language. Installation allows people to engage with those ideas on their own terms.

Bego M. Santiago: The first time I had to talk about COSMOS: All That is Ordered at a press conference, I struggled. It’s hard to verbalise something so layered. But that’s why I make art—to communicate in ways beyond explanation.

Bego M. Santiago: Art’s strength is its ability to resonate—emotionally, physically, spatially. It doesn’t always need to explain itself.