Stefan Kainbacher & Robert Lang With Students: Fohramoos (Interactive Exhibition)
@ MoTA LAB
FRI, 19 April, 6-8 PM
SAT, 20 April, 2-8 PM
The digital preservation project of "Fohramoos" in Dornbirn is conducted by a group of students from the design department in the course on interactive systems. Guided by lecturers Stefan Kainbacher, a media artist, and Robert Lang, a sound engineer, this course focuses on experiential design and experimental interfaces to create a holistic experience. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the team documented Fohramoos using non-invasive methods. Their techniques included 3D scanning of the terrain and field recordings of the moor's natural sounds, complemented by a live performance with modular synthesizers. Their aim is to create an interactive exhibit that immerses visitors directly into the world of Fohramoos. Central to this is an innovative haptic interface, enabling a physical and emotional connection to the moor. Through this interactive installation, the team aspires to increase awareness and appreciation of peatlands as a vital part of the ecosystem and climate protection.
KMRU: 'in habitus with' (Sound Installation)
@ MoTA LAB
FRI, 19 April, 6-8 PM
SAT, 20 April, 2-8 PM
Every place, space, human-nonhuman sounds and resounds. We live in a hyper-localized sonic environment where there is a tendency to mask seemingly unimportant life sounds. These sounds are ignored. Every living and non-living is a participant in the soundscape, a sonic-social being. ‘in habitus with’ explores our profound polyphonic soundscapes, from undertows to urbanscapes, a reflection of the role of sonic phenomena in our social lives,and an invocation of an outward dominant anthropocentric understanding of surroundings
Marc Villanova: CASCADE (A/V installation)
@ Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova
FRI, 29 March - SAT, 28 April
(see timetable here)
Waterfalls are the only continuous source of infrasonic frequencies found in nature. Large falls create extremely low sounds that can travel up to 400 km. Although unheard by our ears, these frequencies play a crucial role in the delicate balance of ecosystems and the lives of certain creatures. Some migratory birds, gifted with the capacity to sense these frequencies, employ them as a navigational compass during their extensive journeys. Their ability to hear these low frequencies far from the waterfalls and remember their locations becomes a sensory base for long-distance migrations. This sonic relationship has existed for as long as the waterfalls have been flowing, but nowadays many such sites have grown silent due to the extreme droughts caused by the climate crisis. In addition, artificial sources of infrasonic frequencies such as wind turbines, airplanes, or military equipment and facilities are polluting the sound environment and causing birds to get lost. Cascade aims to draw attention to these invisible realities by rendering the waterfall’s infrasonic frequencies into an immersive experience for the audience. A generative collage of infrasonic recordings from large waterfalls is played through 128 speakers. While these are incapable of reproducing infrasound due to their small size, they generate a vibration that is then expressed by a luminescent optical fiber. The result is a visualization of the soundwaves falling through the illuminated strings. The audience is invited to walk through the curtain actively engaging with the artwork as they traverse the space. They can also perceive this otherwise invisible energy with their bodies, by touching the strings and feeling the vibration on their skin. The piece aims to reveal the interconnectedness of all living entities and help us become more aware of the importance of preserving even those parts of nature that remain invisible to us.