Oscillations is a two-part project involving an installation and a live performance (Oscillations // LIVE). Initially envisioning this piece as a performance, for the installation iteration we experiment by relinquishing our control as performers to these mechanical devices.
Composing the performance for a large audience, we found ourselves progressively invested in the additional desire to provide and experience which could exist independently of our physical presence. The effort, which began as a means of responding to the circumstances of the static gallery environment, became similarly important to us as a way of emphasizing the uncanny in our artificial vs. real experiences felt today.
Exploring the presence and absence of the performer, for the installation version the machines act as the performers, while in the LIVE version, the “real” performers will be present.
Surabhi Saraf & Sebastian Alvarez
Oscillations [Installation]
A project by Surabhi Saraf and Sebastian Alvarez
Programmer: Conner Lacy
Medium: Wood, electric fans, lights, speakers, mac mini, custom software
Duration: 3 minutes
Special Thanks to: Katya Min, Amarjit Gill, Diwaker Gupta, Katie Fahey, Cathy Lu, Adam Shaw, Dana Hemenway, Shane Myrbeck, Andreas M. Brændhaugen, Jim Teo & Heather Marlow, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
