No. 4
The Woodpeckers
By : marcobarotti
Entrant’s location : Germany
LINKS
What did you create?
I designed robotic birds inspired by real woodpeckers, able to transform in real-time electrosmog into audible and visible drumming patterns. These devices use metal objects as their instruments, they create a composition in constant transformation with the invisible data that surround us.
Why did you make it?
My work is driven by a desire to invent an artistic language where a fictional post-futurist era is expressed through kinetic sound interventions in natural and urban environments. My installations merge audio technology, consumer objects and waste into moving sculptures triggered entirely by sound. The primary focus of my work involves creating a “ tech ecosystem” that plays with inspirations from the animal world. These artworks are metaphors for the anthropogenic impact on the planet and aim to make people aware of environmental issues. In my previous creation Swans, I addressed the topic of e-waste, and for the Woodpeckers, I aim to open a discussion with the citizens about electromagnetic pollution.
How did you make it?
The sonification process happens in real-time. I use an EMF meter which converts the data into an audio signal. This signal is sent to Ableton live where it's processed into low frequencies and then sent to the woodpeckers. The head of the woodpecker is a loudspeaker that moves as push and pulls motor with bass frequencies reinterpreting the data in its dynamics, speed and amplitude.
Your entry’s specification
Each woodpecker is 24 x 2 x 6cm 1 Kg I produced 30 woodpeckers, they are modular and they can be exhibited from a number of 2 to 12 pieces at the same time.