I chose to work directly with the clock as a building block, slowly constructing complexity in layers. This contrasts an approach of first building an entire computer around the clock signal, then working back through complicated software processes in order to artificially re-introduce elements of surprise or chaotic behaviours. With Instrumentation the algorithmic behaviour is found in physical objects and not abstract code. Along these lines, I conceive of Instrumentation as more of a framework or schematic, rather than a fully individualized, or closed work. Structured but not scripted, the work contains a high level of improvisation, and so varies significantly from implementation to implementation. By letting machines run the show, I hope to open up a temporary space for contemplation of the forces at work in the environment that surrounds us. Exploring the physical ‘magic’ of resonance that pervades our everyday encounters with machines, structures and systems, reveals that we are subject to fundamentally mysterious material laws, that are outside our absolute command. In an increasingly digital-technocratic world, where capture, efficiency and analysis seem to be the only goals, acknowledging this elusive latent ‘magic’ can remind us of the limits of our control.
Photographer: Conception photo
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