A Matter of Feeling

RALF BAECKER [DE]

Irrational Computing (2011) IRRATIONAL COMPUTING investigates material, aethetics and potential of digital processes. The basic raw materials of our surrounding information technology are semiconductor crystals such as silicon, quartz or silicon carbide, which, thanks to today’s advanced microtechnology and extremely sophisticated procedures, are processed into transistors or integrated circuits (IC), with the materiality of modern microprocessors having long since ceased to be graspable. The extreme miniaturization and the black-box set-up elude visual interpretation. The Installations circuit runs counter to the developments in information technology, representing the…

PHILIP BEESLEY [CA]

Epiphyte Grove – Hylozoic series (2011 – 2012) The Hylozoic Ground experimental architecture series developed by architect Philip Beesley has been expanded and refined by researchers, engineers and designers from around the world. It is an immersive, interactive environment that moves and breathes around its viewers, creating an environment that can ‘feel’ and ‘care’. Next-generation artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and interactive technology create an environment that is nearly alive. This new technology has, according to the London Times, “the power to be the dominant aesthetic of…

XANDRA VAN DER EIJK [NL]

Momentum (2011) Momentum is a silent symphony, a dance between artist and installation, with the liquid (like time itself) flowing at its own pace. Xandra Van Der Eijk Momentum shows the process of decay and the human incapability to overcome it. It is a spacious, analog installation with a 4 to 6 -day cycle, guided by a very slow, continuous performance of assisting the installation in order for it to work, resulting in strong graphic, 4m long prints. Because of certain ingredients in the mixture,…

ANTONY HALL [UK]

Puddle Vortex (2012) PUDDLE VORTEX A seemingly incidental spillage reveals a spiralling vortex at its centre. The puddle appears to be constantly pulled into a void though it never reduces. Closer inspection reveals a microcosmos of complex behaviors. The perpetual puddle vortex draws in fluid and air, and re-circulates it back in to the puddle, so the puddle never disappears. Underneath the puddle is a vortex generating device, this does not simply spin the puddle; the liquid spirals down a hole, but magically the puddle never…

STELARC [AU]

 Prosthetic Head (2003) Prosthetic Head is an automated, animated and reasonably informed artificial head that speaks to the person who interrogates it. The PROSTHETIC HEAD project is a 3D avatar head, somewhat resembling the artist, that has real time lip-synching, speech synthesis and facial expressions. Head nods, head tilts and head turns as well as changing eye gaze contribute to the personality of the agent and the non-verbal cues it can provide. It is a conversational system which can be said to be only as…