OCT 26-28 | EXHIBITION | GREY SPACE IN THE MIDDLE
Sonomatter is a sound installation and performance that transforms bioelectrical signals from microorganisms into sound. An array of Winogradsky Columns, small ecosystems from mud and water, generate electric signals with Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology, allowing to measure the voltage from microorganisms formed in mud. The microbes create electricity and eventually die when they lack nutrients. The self-designed “Bioelectricity-Controlled-Oscillator” circuit consumes the (bioelectrical) energy to control the sound of the oscillator in real-time. This process illustrates a circular relationship between life and death, as both share the same material (mud). The project poetically explores the symbiotic interaction between organic matter and natural phenomena in this microcosm — soil, water, respiration and oxidation — as well as the domain of energy-harvesting and clean energy generation.
Live performance: Friday 26 Oct at 20:00
Concept, Technology, Sound, Production : Sabina Hyoju Ahn
Video: Rania Shin
Photos: Sey Parc, Florian Voggeneder
BIO
Sabina Hyoju Ahn (KR/AT) is an artist working with sound and organic matter. Her research involves finding hidden rules and patterns in natural elements and translating them into different perceptual experiences. Her works have been shown internationally in places such as Piksel festival (NO), Transmediale Vorspiel (DE), Mediamatic (NL), Athens Digital Arts Festival (GR), AMRO (AT), Lab 30 (DE), Art Center Nabi (KR), ACT Festival (KR), V2 (NL) and NIME (New Interface for Musical Expression), where she was awarded the prize for Best Sound Performance in 2017. Sabina studied Computational Arts at Goldsmiths University in London (MA) and ArtScience at Royal Conservatoire & Royal Academy of Art, in Den Haag (MMus).