Microphones
Subsculpture 10
"Microphones" is an interactive installation featuring one or several 1939-vintage Shure microphones, placed on mic stands around the exhibition room at different heights. Each microphone has been modified so that inside its head is a tiny loudspeaker and a circuit board connected to a network of hidden control computers. When a public member speaks into a microphone, it records his or her voice and immediately plays back the voice of a previous participant, as an echo from the past.
The result is surprising because the sound comes directly from the microphone, which "speaks back", and because it is a memory of what already has been said. People initially only say something short like "hello" or "I am the decider" but as they realize that the resulting echo is actually recordings from previous participants they start giving longer speeches, they sing, or the play "exquisite corpse". Half the time the microphones play back the voice that was just recorded, while the other half they reproduce a recording at random from up to 600,000 that each microphone can store. This distribution allows the participant to understand the interaction but it also creates an experience that is out of his or her control. Ultimately, the piece's content is entirely generated by the participation of the public.
General info
Single microphone
Installation
Exhibitions
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Transition States, Gund Gallery, Gambier, Ohio, United States, 2016 - 2017.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Preabsence, Haus der Elektronischen Künste Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 2016.
- Art Brussels, Carroll / Fletcher Gallery, Galería Max Estrella, Brussels, Belgium, 2014.
- Armory Show, Baró Gallery, New York City, New York, United States, 2014.
- Time-Lapse, Site Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, 2012.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Recorders, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, 2011 - 2012.
- Rewriting Worlds: The 4th Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia, 2011.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Recorders, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, United Kingdom, 2010 - 2011.
- Intensif-Station, K21 Ständehaus, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2010 - 2011.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Haunch of Venison, London, United Kingdom, 2008.
- Maquinas y Almas - Souls and Machines, Museo Nacional Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain, 2008 (version of 20).
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Recorders, Edith Russ Haus für Medienkunst, Oldenburg, Germany, 2008.
- LOOP '08, Galerie Guy Bärtschi, Catalonia Ramblas Hotel, Barcelona, Spain, 2008.
- The Art of Participation: 1950 to now, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California, United States, 2008 (version of 20).
Credits
- Gideon May - programming
- Pierre Fournier, Stephan Schulz, Olfa Driss - production support
Bibliography
- "Das Haus für elektronische Künste in Münchenstein zeigt Werke von Rafael Lozano-Hemmer", Badische Zeitung, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, June 10th 2016 (deutsch). Text of 2 pages. (Newspaper)
- "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer 'Preabsence' at House of Electronic Arts, Basel", Mousse Magazine, Milan, Italy, June 23rd 2016 (english). Text of 7 pages. (Magazine)
- "Máquinas y Almas: arte digital y nuevos medios", Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain, 2008 (español). Text of 3 pages. (Book)
- Arozqueta, Claudia, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer", Artforum, New York City, New York, United States, January 30th 2012 (english). Text of 1 page. (Magazine)
- Austen, Kat, "Watch and be watched", NewScientist, no.2785, London, United Kingdom, November 6th 2010 (english). Text of 1 page. (Magazine)
- Federico, Cherie, "Digital Art and the Platforms for Participation", Aesthetica, York, United Kingdom, August 2010 (english). Text of 4 pages. (Magazine)
- Frieling, Rudolf, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer", The art of participation: 1950 to now, New York City, New York, United States, 2008 (english). Text of 1 page. (Book)
- Heim, Christoph, "Magie der Überwachung", Basler Zeitung, Basel, Switzerland, July 4th 2016. Text of 2 pages. (Newspaper)
- McDonald, John, "How to push people's buttons", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia, January 14th 2012 (english). Text of 2 pages. (Newspaper)
- McDonough, Tom, "The Art of Paticipation: 1950 to Now", Artforum International, New York City, New York, United States, April 2009 (english). Text of 1 page. (Magazine)
- Morrison, Ann Maria, "Transition States: The Gund Gallery's newest exhibit and the way it's literally pulled me in completely", Her Campus at Kenyon, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, October 22nd 2016 (english). Text of 3 pages. (Website)
- Önol, Isin, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer ve Kolektif Bellek", Artful Living, Istanbul, Turkey, July 28th 2016 (türkçe). Text of 11 pages. (Website)
- Roffiel, Othiana, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Cuando el retrato se convierte en paisaje", Artishock, Chile, June 21st 2016 (español). Text of 12 pages. (Website)
- Saux, Frances, "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's show turns its gaze on the viewer", The Kenyon Collegian, Gambier, Ohio, United States, October 13th 2016 (english). Text of 2 pages. (Website)
- Silverman, Linda R., "Zurich/Basel/London June, 2016", Linda R. Silverman, New York City, New York, United States, June 28th 2016 (english). Text of 5 pages. (Website)
Walder, Paul, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: fragmentos de un código fuente. Rafael Lozano Hemmer: fragments of a source code., Art.es, Spain, 2012 (english and español). Text of 34 pages. (Magazine)
