User:Zigbe/ResearchMethodologies Assignment001

Umberlina Cave A cave like environment built in one of the cellars in Utrecht's main canals, with projections of animated GIF found online; 3D printed objects, plaster and wood sculptures; RGB LEDs, laser beams and color lamps; Synths, sampler, drum machine and effects; computers, routers and beamers; carpets on the floor and plants. The environment held several performances such as music acts, lectures, talks, DJ sets. Despite the compositions created in the space, the objects were spread in a non-hierarchical order avoiding to give any more importance to an artifact or object. Sculptural compositions, lights and soundscapes created an ambient in constant transformation inspiring the viewer to have an active roll by interacting with the objects and the space, as well as with the acts. An open source system has been tailored in order to control the animated GIF compositions of each projector using the wifi.

HOW. The installation was part of a 6 weeks residency at Impakt Foundation, Utrecht, and made in collaboration with Leandro Nerefuh. The environment was a clash of our very different visual approaches together with our similar conceptual ideas. Different materials and medias were combined: compositions of animated GIFs were project on the walls, each one of the beamers were controlled by my laptop changing the compositions of each individual beamer; computers were put together with plants and 3D print waste; a set of electronic instruments were available for anyone to play with and connections on the mixer for new sets. Carpets where placed along the length of the space with to make the ambient confortable enough for people to join, some sculptures – such as a 3D printed copy of the one of utrecht's public monument, a monkey head made of clay, a woden mask on top of a monolith, a bunch of DVDs with 3D printed objects glued on top which when connected to a media player would play animated GIFs while the objects would spin in front of the image. During the threes days the exhibition was running there were a series of lectures, music, sound and visual performances organized with several artists and educators.

WHY? The project started from a mix of ideas but mainly the idea to make an alegory to Plato's cave. The space would be some kind internet archeology space, and also a transitional space between times. Ideas such as technoprimitivism, techno-shamanism, digital folklory were constantly throw on the table and gave some kind of ritualistic feeling to the installation which we accepted and played with it. But at the same time a parody was part of the whole, dicussions with antropologits, archelogists, historians, brough a stronger ground to the project and help us to understand it beter. Art seems to have become the religion of the 21st century. This work investigates this ritualism of technology, exploring the relationships between the sacred nature of artefacts, icons, code, and digital assets. This explorations have led me to act as an invisible factor within and behind the work, creating situations and platforms from which to instigate the viewer or collaborator to have an active role in the creative process. The intention is tied into the process of becoming a shadow of the work and subsequently killing the creator behind it.

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Ojiji, Obeah, Duppy or I just want to see you again During a three weeks residency a series of actions creating a ghostly - invisible but active - presence were taken place inside an art space. Those actions defined the viewer's position as an archeologist who may excavate its remains. Artifacts were created as visual support: three ipod radio transmitters from eBay were hacked in order to raise the transmission range from 5 to 200 meters and broadcasted the gallery inside sounds to the streets; simple shapes were drawn using a laser beam and mirrors which could only be seen at night when the space was closed for visits; also during the gallery's closing times drawings were made on the walls and painted back into white; a Marshall PA was installed close to the ceiling playing 15 meters of cable's interferences which sounded like different frequencies and resonances variating in a long pace. By the end of the residency a montage using the remains was pilled together with a stroke of white paint on top, and on the top of the wall close to the ceiling, a writing saying “Ojiji. I just want to see you again” was tagged with street typography.

WHY? It ha been some years that I have been intrigued by the idea of the art work existing as a temporary experience in between the viewer and the (so called) “work of art” together with the idea that art is not only defined by the “intension of the artist” but also by the decision of the viewer to entitle something as art. By doing invisible actions I intended to make the idea of presence an experience in itself. And by giving “soul” (sound or radio frequencies) to the objects, I intended to animate their ordinary visual qualities in order to enforce their presence without compromising their invisibility - by invisible now I refer to ordinary or non interesting visual qualities to be perceived – besides it was clear my intensions to not focus on the visuality of the work, I thought some visuality would help the viewer to believe - as one believe on what one sees – on the presence of the artist. Invisible presence, absent presence, are both terms which inspire this research.

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Caetano//Carvalho 09:00, 26 September 2012 (CEST)

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