Beyond the Silicon

Sun Boxes

2010-09-20T14:25:00.000-04:00

If you were in Newburyport MA this past Saturday, we hope you stopped by Maudslay State Park and saw Craig Colorosso's Sun Boxes, a solar powered sound installation. If you missed it Saturday, you still have two more chances; the 11th annual "Sculpture at Maudslay" continues on September 25 and October 2.

The video below shows Craig's Sun Boxes installation at the 2009 "Off the Grid" (Rhyolite NV) festival.

The Ripple Effect

2010-06-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

Like other projects in Jason Eppink's Catalogue of Creative Triumphs, the Light Ripple appears rather simplistic -- at first. Press a button; blue rings of light ripple across the ceiling. But there is more to it. For one, an installation area "dominated by blaring sound systems, steady beats, and free-flowing social lubricants" is essential. From the artist's description:

Most interesting (and least apparent) is how knowledge of the Light Ripple's interaction model becomes a social currency. The only clue to the sculpture's operation is a small lighted push-button which is easy to overlook in the chaotic environment. Possessors of this knowledge exhibit how "in the know" they are and increase their perceived social value by sharing the secret with their peers, which perpetuates interaction with the sculpture throughout the night.

The Body Electric

2010-06-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

Mi Sei Vicino (If you are close to me) by Sonia Cillari is an interactive piece that attempts to map human interaction. A performer standing at the center of a sensor floor acts as a human antenna. When audience members touch or come near the performer sound and images charting the encounters are projected on screens surrounding the performance space.

Cillari is a performance artist and architect who often uses the human body as an interface in her pieces. She explains different aspects of her work in the video below.

Chill Room

2010-05-25T11:54:00.000-04:00

As the temperature rises today in New York City, we bring you Heavy Winter. The video below is described as a "documentation of an interactive art installation featuring an audio recording of poet Philip Larkin reading his poem Aubade." The installation was created by Derek Root.

Gardens

2010-05-18T10:35:00.001-04:00

With software by Cyrille Henry, Miguel Chevalier creates digital gardens. The flora of Fractal Flowers from Exhibition Inside (Lisbon, 2009) sway and bow to passersby.

As he stands in front of Ultra-Nature (2006), Miguel discusses his work as well as developments in art and technology.

Bar Art

2010-05-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

Beginning to think that London is one big orgy of interactive art. Even the bars are interactive. (Well, one would expect that, but we're talking technological here.) From dr. mo & atmos (a.k.a. Mauritius Seeger & Alex Haw): Hurry Up Please: It's Time.

Pursuing Essence

2010-05-04T09:03:00.000-04:00

London-based arts and technology collective "seeper's nucleus is the pursuit of essence," according its website. Big projects, big clients, big exhibits -- take a look at a couple of seeper's recent projects.

Sum Greater Than Parts

2010-04-29T13:41:00.001-04:00

When we first saw Scott Blake's barcode art, it reminded us somewhat of an automated version of Chuck Close's art. Lo and behold, Scott has an online Chuck Close filter.

Scott used his filter to create a Chuck Close Animation.

We leave you with two words: Georges Seurat.

KarmetiK

2010-04-25T00:38:00.000-04:00

We just love it when humans and machines can work harmoniously to create beautiful, rhythmic music. We're referring to the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra. To learn about the individual performers, human and robotic, click here. Catch the orchestra live at CalArts' Walt Disney Modular Theater on May 13th, if you happen to be in the L.A. area. Here's a preview.

The Wall

2010-04-20T13:31:00.000-04:00

Berlin resident, Eun Sook Lee created Vanished Berlin Wall to commemorate the 1989 destruction of the infamous structure. The work of plastic textiles and light was installed in 2007 on the western side of the Brandenburg Gate, not far from where the original wall once stood.

Lee also hoped to call attention to the plight of her native Korea where many families currently suffer separations similar to those endured by East and West Germans throughout the tenure of the iconic cold war symbol.

Performance, Feedback, Revision

2010-04-16T14:24:00.000-04:00

Canadian performance artist Baba Brinkman gives mysticism and pseudoscience a bad rap. This video was commissioned by the Geek Pop Festival.

Baba, live at Hammersmith Apollo, London

Formulaic

2010-04-13T10:10:00.009-04:00

The Formula by ex-physicist Tom Beddard is composed of two astounding sequences of Mandelbulbs (3D versions of Mandelbrot fractals) and a soundtrack by The Formula (Laurie Peters). Tom provides source code for all his experiments whenever possible on subblue.com. Check it out. The site is full of info, and there are amazing images to see in Tom's Gallery of Mathematical and Generative Art.

History (in 3D)

2010-04-08T11:19:00.000-04:00

If you happen to have a pair of ChromaDepth 3D glasses (not leftovers from Avatar and not the red/greens for anaglyphs), you can almost get a taste of Ouroboros: The History of the Universe from the video below. But only a taste. With the ambient sound and seven channels of video, it's best to see it in person. Created by Ali Hossaini and SWEATSHOPPE (Blake Shaw and Bruno Levy), the show runs through April 23rd at ISE Cultural Foundation (with 3D glasses provided).

Not Picasso

2010-04-03T13:26:00.004-04:00

Our very own K. L. Schafer (You know him as Dr. O. Zone.) currently has an exhibit at the Butler Institute of American Art. It's entitled Beyond Cubism: Octahedronism. From the artist's statement, "They have six sides; we have eight." For further information, watch the video below.

Here is a detail from a single display in the Vanishing Point installation.

A demonstration of how Schafer's music is generated is shown in this episode from the Silicon Soul Show.

If Picasso is rolling in his grave, let's hope he rolls to the beat.

Immersion

2010-03-31T15:41:00.000-04:00

PurForm members, visual artist Yan Breuleux and composer Alain Thibault, are known for creating immersion videos, where the audience in completely surrounded by the video/music presentation. You'll get a much better idea from the Black Box video below.

Check out this page for a list of current projects.

Pixelated Sculpture?

2010-03-29T14:14:00.001-04:00

Do you regularly expose your child to art and culture? Have you seen the inside of every kiddie museum in your town at least 10 times over? Out of options and dreading yet another pilgrimage to the Hall of Dinosaurs? Have we got an exhibit for you.

Brick by Brick: The LEGO Brick Sculpture of Nathan Sawaya is currently at Agora Gallery in NYC from Mar 23 - Apr 13, 2010. (OK, this one is definitely low tech, but the kids will love seeing a familiar toy employed to a grand scale, and you'll be surprised by the sophistication of the work.)

Winners

2010-03-25T11:53:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month The Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology announced the winners of Margaret Guthman New Musical Instrument Competition. Sharing third prize were The Loud Objects (live circuit construction as performance art, seen in this 2007 video) and Steve Litt's The CrudBox (amplified step sequencer as sophisticated rhythm box, seen in this 2009 video.) In second place was Kieth McMillen's K-Bow, explained and demoed here.

With two independent slides, two hand controllers, utilizing sensor technologies and Max/MSP software, the first prize went to The Double Slide Controller, a distant descendant of the trombone, developed by composer/researcher Tomás Henriques.

More Zimoun

2010-03-22T12:35:00.001-04:00

Here are more sound sculptures/installations from Zimoun, always an inspiration.

To view a Zimoun's compilation video (includes many other works), see our previous Zimoun post.

Pool Party

2010-03-18T15:53:00.000-04:00

No jumping. No diving. No water. Nobody’s getting wet here.

Leandro Erlich’s Swimming Pool is a truly accessible interactive experience. You don't need to be an art expert to get under the surface of this one. The pool at the Museum of Modern Art’s P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center will remain open until April 5th 2010. Catch it!

For stills and more info click here

Low Light Kinetic Field Art

2010-03-15T12:46:00.001-04:00

True, this vid went viral months ago, but BTS would be slacking if we didn't pay homage to electric sheep. Realization by the BaaaStuds, dream by Philip K. Dick.

(Thanks J. Stone, our stoned-strange viral filterer!)

Walking on Infinite Grass

2010-03-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

Performance art gone green or an organic treadmill heralding an agro exercise boom. You make the call.

All we know is that Walking on Infinite Grass was recorded and preserved for the ages at CSAW Gallery back in 2006. The creator remains anonymous.

Karo & Tetra

2010-03-08T13:42:00.000-05:00

Ever view a deceptively simply kinetic sculpture and wonder how it came together? Well wonder no more, at least as far as Karo #1 by Ralfonso is concerned. The profile below takes us from design sketches to computer modeling to the real deal in less that five minutes.

Karo# 1 is like a fluid diamond undulating in the wind. Light reflective, multifaceted shapes and fluid movement are recurring themes in Ralfonso’s work as evidenced in our second offering from the artist, Tetra.

A Clockwork Onion

2010-03-04T11:01:00.002-05:00

At the recently concluded 13th Japan Media Arts Festival artist David Bowen (whom we featured last November) won the grand prize in the art division. With a laser device for eyes, his Growth Modeling Device watches and reproduces the growth cycle of an onion as a beautiful, mechanical abomination. Click on the photo below to view a video of this kinetic installation.

Antimonument

2010-03-01T16:58:00.001-05:00

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is known for large scale installations in public spaces beyond his Vectorial Elevation pieces. (See post from last week). From his bio: "Using robotics, projections, sound, internet and cell-phone links, sensors and other devices, his installations aim to provide 'temporary antimonuments for alien agency.'" Below is a video documentation of Underscan (2005).

Singing Ringing

2010-02-25T13:24:00.002-05:00

Created by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu of Tonkin Liu, the Singing Ringing Tree was designed to take advantage of the perpetual winds buffeting the hills of Lancashire, England.

Sounds like choral humming to me, but I have a bad ear. Take a listen for yourself in the video below.

But wait there’s more. The tree was one of four structures commissioned by a progressive public art program. The development of the project, the construction of the tree and the official launch of this permanent installation are covered in the following profile.