B o d i e s o f B l o o d / B o d i e s o f W a t e r (2 0 2 2)

Technical detail:

- Tank A - 10cm(h) x 13,000cm(w) x 100cm(d) produing a (300cm(h) x 13,000(w) caustic reflection
- Tank B - 10cm(h) x 8,000cm(w) x 30cm(d) producing a (3cm(h) x 8,000(w) caustic reflection
- ESP32 microcontroller / OSC over WiFi / servo motor
- Wireless optical heart rate monitor

Project detail:

Exhibited at KARST[1] gallery in Plymouth this work was show between 7th and 11th March 2022. The gallery space was split into two distinct but thematically linked installations. The main space was occupied with a wave tank measuring 10cm(h) x 13,000cm(w) x 100cm(d). The tank was filled with water and its surface lit with white light using four ceiling mounted 1920x1080p projectors. Ripples and small waves across the surface of the water were produced by two paddles mounted at either end of the tank. The movement of each paddle was independently driven by the heart rate of two participants. The heart rate was captured using a wrist worn optical heart rate monitor and broadcast in real-time via OSC over wifi. Each heart beat would translate as a single pulse of the paddle. As the light reflected and refracted off the water’s moving surface it created a 300cm(h) x 13,000(w) floor to ceiling caustic reflection that bathed the gallery walls with a dynamic diffraction pattern.

[1] KARST is Southwest England's largest independent artist-led contemporary arts gallery and studio space based in Plymouthhttps://karst.org.uk.