KAKEHI Yasuaki Laboratory,
The University of Tokyo
Harpreet SAREEN, Franziska MACK, KAKEHI Yasuaki
Hybrid exhibition
Algaphon
Hybrid exhibition
Algaphon
Schedule
-
Sept. 8 – 12, 2021, 09:00 – 17:00 (CEST)
The KAKEHI Yasuaki Laboratory in the University of Tokyo Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies Graduate School is led by artist and associate professor KAKEHI Yasuaki. In 2020, Soundform No. 1 won the Excellence Award in the 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival Art Division. In this exhibition, KAKEHI presents an online participatory hybrid installation work in which he “talks” with algae in the water, with lab members Harpreet SAREEN and collaborator Franziska MACK.
Urban environments and manicured nature, with no sight of native organism diversity, have led to forgotten evolutionary histories and a reduced understanding of ecosystem relations. Algaphon is a hybrid installation wherein algae bubbles that produce sound at Minnaert frequency near algal filaments are rendered audible through a hydrophone. Online visitors can leave a voice message that is translated into photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) variations in a remote aquarium. The algae bubble response to this human speech is then recorded and sent back to the visitor for them to engage in a reflective dialog with algal species. The installation refocuses the attention on nonvascular physiological mechanisms and invites the viewer to think about how the “umwelten” (environment) is in a heightened dynamic to adapt to human actions.
- Concept/Research/Creation:
- Harpreet SAREEN, Franziska MACK, KAKEHI Yasuaki
“Algaphon” official website (off-site)
“Algaphon” official website (off-site)