July 9 – August 2, 2003

The Doom_machine
by Saoirse Higgins

Mechanism no.1: war
by Saoirse Higgins and Simon Schiessl

Both the Doom_machine and Mechanism no.1 address our concerns and fears in the world as we embrace technology and its powers, both good and bad. Ultimately we are responsible for the power of technology and how it is used. This exhibition looks at the fear factor in the world particularly during these times of uncertainty and paranoia. It examines our innate pessimism regarding the world and our expectations for the future.

The Doom_machine
by Saoirse Higgins
This piece includes a physical machine, remote actuated sound, video installation and live broadcast.

The Doom_machine takes a daily measure of how close we are to a possible end to the world. Particularly after the events of September 11th, pending disaster has become a regular feature of our lives; thereby increasing the apprehension about the future of our personal and planetary safety. We are in an apocalyptic holding pattern.

The Doom_machine was inspired by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists prediction clock, which has been in use since 1947. The Doom_machine is constantly monitoring the doom level via related sites on the Internet and a doom voting website. It interprets the data as sound that correlates to a doom scale from 0 to 5. Each hour there is an announcement of the daily doom forecast, which can be collected from the Location One website and downloaded onto an mp3 player, printed out, or broadcast on radio.

Mechanism no.1: war
by Saoirse Higgins and Simon Schiessl
Interactive video installation

This is an interactive video projection examining the critical moments leading to war. The visitor winds* up the mechanical toy drummer boy with the brass key. The action of the drummer boy correlates to a projected video that shows bombs dropping from the sky. The sound of the bombs keeps exact beat with the drum. The tighter the mechanism is wound the faster the bombs will drop. The visitor controls frequency of the bombing. Where are these bombs being dropped? What are the consequences?

*to wind up…to screw to a certain pitch, to involve, to implicate, expresses rapid, forceful motion…

Saoirse Higgins
For the past six years Saoirse Higgins has been engaged in experimenting and developing installations that examine our changing digital and physical environment. Higgins’s work is concerned with humankind’s relationship to technology in our present time. These works have been shown both in Europe and in the States in exhibitions including Transmediale in Berlin, Siggraph, Guinness Storehouse 5th gallery, Dublin. Higgins is currently working as a researcher in Chris Csikszentmihalyi’s Computing Culture Group at the Media Lab MIT, Boston. She is also a summer artist in residence at the Location One gallery in New York.

website :: http://web.media.mit.edu/~saoirse

Simon Schiessl
Berlin-based artist Simon Schiessl is currently working on a graduate degree at the MIT Media Lab after having spent several years working in the field of art and technology. Coming from an engineering background, his artistic material is technology, which he explores to achieve new forms of aesthetic experience. The main focus lies in interactive installations that integrate various forms of active electronics, media elements, and artefacts from the non-digital world. His work was shown at several major festivals, including Transmediale/Berlin 2001, Sonar Festival/Barcelona 2002, and Ars ElectronicaCenter/Linz 2002.

website :: http://web.media.mit.edu/~simon_s