Diskohedron

Diskohedron lamps are geometrical objects whose shape was chosen to distribute programmable light sources along a near-perfect sphere. They serve as bodies for computational expression. Diskohedron lamps are computational objects – estranged technology whose purpose and effects on people are not clear.

In collaboration with playwright Kevin Rittberger and net artist Cornelia Sollfrank, the Diskohedron lamps became part of the “Community in Progress” performance. Specifically, they were incorporated into Cornelia Sollfrank’s text performance titled “Die Hackerin als Künstlerin als Hackerin”, presented alongside actors. The Diskohedron lamps, with their complex geometry and programmable lighting, served as a physical embodiment of the hacker ethos. Their enigmatic presence on stage symbolized the estranged technology whose purpose and effects are not immediately clear, much like the elusive nature of hacking itself.

Together with sound artist Phillip Lammer we attached electromagnetic coils to each lamp, and thus sonified the electromagnetic presence of the Diskohedrons, transforming invisible energy fields into audible soundscapes. The performance played with the dialectic of the two lamps, one black and one white, symbolizing contrasting forces and dualities. The black lamp absorbed light, while the white lamp reflected it, creating a visual interplay that was mirrored in the sonic domain. This noise performance emphasized on the estranged nature of technology represented by the Diskohedron objects.

Credits

Community in Progress: Hacking Social Reality was a performance, talk and installation at Hek Basel.
Production: Kevin Rittberger

Thanks to Happylab Vienna for 3D printing and lasercutter support.

Further reading

Centre pasquart exhbition 2015 Link