O VIVE~
Body, seaweed, ink, plaster, clay, wood, embroidery hoops, verdigris, mould, paper, copper, activated charcoal, water, dimensions variable
O Vive~ is an installation that functions as an expanded instrument, combining sound, sculpture, and dance to create an immersive sensory experience. The work features conductive membranes and copper vessels, water and gels, and crocheted electrical cables, which form a circuit connected to electronic sensors. These sensors translate shifts in latent electricity, moisture levels, and the charge of human bodies into sound. The resulting soundscape is played through bespoke seating and latex cushions, offering an intimate and tactile listening experience.
O Vive~ explores the foundational role of water in life and its paradoxical relationship with preservation within the museum environment. While water is essential for life to thrive, humidity poses significant threats to the conservation of knowledge and historical artefacts. In contrast, O Vive~ delves into fluid, material ways of knowing, embedded in the organic forms and energies of the natural world.
The installation’s soft, conductive interfaces—skin-like bio-films—are crafted from organic matter representing the three domains of animate life: vegetal, aquatic, and animal. These membranes, displayed as specimens at the entrance on plinths or in vitrines, are also integrated ‘in vivo’ within the instrument, inviting careful interaction from visitors. This interplay of haptic and electrical data generates a hypnotic composition, revealing the materiality, latency, and energetic dynamics of the environment.
O Vive was presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Space of the Nameless (Art PhD, Goldsmiths University, 2023) and was informed by exchanges with conservators at the Natural History Museum, London. The work was activated through three live performances using The Crochet Resistance Suit, a wearable electronic costume used for 'playing the installation' through a form of dance as a way of gardening latent energy.
