E=H2O

Body, seaweed, ink, plaster, clay, wood, embroidery hoops, verdigris, mould, paper, copper, activated charcoal, water, dimensions variable

E=H2O / Mind Rave is a performance and sound installation exploring impermanence and transformation, presented as part of the ‘Mixed Bag’ Art Research group show at Goldsmiths University (2022) and the performance art event ‘Sex Reboot’ at Iklectik Sound Lab (2022)

E= H2O references water scientist Gerald Pollack’s proposition of the equation E=H2O, based on his discovery of water’s fourth phase—a crystalline form that generates energy. The installation comprises organic skin-like membranes, glass vessels filled with liquids and gels, and copper sculptures connected as a circuit. All the elements are in a state of weathering: the membranes desiccate, the water evaporates, the copper oxidizes. Each component produces data from this constant change, which is transformed into sound. What can be heard are the tempos of impermanence, decay and renewal.

The activation ceremony, Mind Rave, transforms this installation into an immersive experience.
A dancer, wearing an electronic sound-suit – the Crochet Resistance Suit – activates the field, generating a real-time soundscape. The sound synthesis and looped mantra chants focus on frequencies capable of evoking slow brainwave activity (Delta and Theta waves) akin to states of deep meditation. The ceremony begins with a ritual, inviting the audience to hold conductive gel, to become part of the circuitry. Participants are also offered wearable sculptures, such as “Attention Cocoons”—organic membrane headdresses that blur vision—and “Mirror Light Objects,” which reflect light across the room when moved near a light source.

Curator Giulia Casalini writes: “The experience generates a ritualistic and meditative space where the participants lose themselves in time through repetition, micro-movements and looped sounds. Its impermanent installation galvanises a space of heightened yet soft haptic sensoriality, which can never be repeated a second time: each experience is unique to the specific Mind Rave iteration.”