'Remote Entanglements', Laura Splan, 2019
'Contested Territories', Laura Splan, 2019
Esther Klein Gallery
Philadelphia, PA
_Designed, programmed, and fabricated custom networked sculptures. Modified fan, wireless Raspberry Pi
_control, adjusting wind speed in real time to data from a biological laboratory. Twitter actuated lab mixer, IOT
_microcontroller, networked control.
http://www.laurasplan.com/remote-entanglements
http://www.laurasplan.com/contested-territories
Contested Territories: networked laboratory mixer containing laboratory llama feces activated by Twitter activity
This modified laboratory machine activates when Twitter hashtags associated with the culturally contested status of Science are tweeted. As the networked device intermittently checks for the latest tweets, the mixer's movement materializes the socioplititical complexities of language. Here, the mere mention of #globalwarming or #diversity agitates tubes filled with laboratory animal feces. Since taking office, the Trump administration has controversially advised how to improve the chances of receiving research funding with the suggestion to avoid words and phrases like "vulnerable", "diversity", "entitlement", "transgender", "fetus", "evidence-based", and "science-based". The administration has also refused to sign statements that mention "climate change". Virologist, Ben Doranz added the timely contribution of #vaccination to this growing list of terms.
Remote Entanglements: text behind wind-data actuated fan networked to biological laboratory animal farm
Faint text on a wall invites viewers to come close to read "our distance allows our intimacy". The phrase refers to the complexities of existence in the biotechnological age where understanding of our own bodies and the bodies of others is increasingly mediated by technology. The sculpture blows a breeze in the viewers face as they read the text. The speed of the networked fan intermittently adjusts to the wind conditions near llamas living at a biological laboratory in Pennsylvania. The llamas are used for antibody production for human drugs.
