Michela Pelusio

SpaceTime Helix 2012

SpaceTime Helix is a kinetic light sculpture, showing the passage of time, endlessly into the future. Space time helix is a play with light, helical symmetries, geometry and infinity.
SpaceTime Helix is a spinning standing wave in a white string, forming a large helicoid up to the roof. The helix surface is bright transparent, with waves running over it, disapearing into the past. More and more distant in space-time.

After a while, the sculpture stops and the string comes to a stop, the helix slowly fading away, until only a simple straight white string remains, puzzling the spectators. Only to start up again moments later.

Standing waves are common in modern physics, like string theory and quantum mechanics. In quantum mechanics the energy levels of a particle are standing (quantum mechanical) waves. In string theory particles themselves are strings in many space-time dimensions and the different types of particles are the different standing waves.

SpaceTime Helix was exhibited in the Basilica di San Marco, Heraklion and at the SciCafe 2012, in the Natural History Museum of Heraklion, and has been proposed for exhibition at the Biennale of Santorini.

In the summer of 2012 Bogomir Doringer invited me for a one-month residence to do research on prototypes of SpaceTime Helix, a kinetic light and sound sculpture (helical symmetries, geometry and infinity). The residency took place in the context of the Artist-in-Residence program of quartier21/MuseumsQuartier Vienna.

From the first days of my residency at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna I enjoyed a full immersion in the cultural and artistic environment of Vienna. I met and collaborated with many curators and artists during my stay, and with many of them I will continue to collaborate.

The events and possibilities to meet and connect with Viennese and international artists, to collaborate and develop SpaceTime Helix further, were countless. Metalab is a great place to work with science, arts and technologies, acoustics and optics.

Michael Hackel, a Viennese curator and artist, invited me to present @Kunstraum Pro Arte, for the Vernissage of the exhibition "IO - Elena Muti" at the Kunstraum Pro Arte in Hallen with Rüdiger Wassibauer (see http://kunstraumproarte.com/?page_id=1669 - many newspapers and online articles).

At Schmiede12: ZERO in Hallein, a playground of ideas I had the chance to do many SpaceTime helix experiments, shows and performances in 10 days:

At Schmiede12, a 9 meter helix setup, inside the electro room of the Saline building in Hallein, Salzburg in collaboration with Cinema Vertigo and Tinkerlab.

At Schmiede12, DLP projector experiments - in collaboration with Andreas Muk Haider and Antoni Raizhekoff.

At Schmiede12, SpaceTime Helix's Concert and performance with Ciference Symphony (Martina Stock & Cristian Schratt), Andreas Muk Haider, and Michael F Schreiber.

At Schmiede12, in collaboration with Michael F Schreiber focussing on experiments with feedback phenomena using the characteristics of DLP and LCD based beamers to project with parametric and sound modulated generators of real time patterns on and through the helix. Michael wrote and performed some custom quartz composer patches combining frequency analysis of the sampled helix sounds with real time digital processing of helix images, vector models of the helix envelope and a wide range of pixel media.

Back at at MetaLab in Vienna I did more experiments and worked on infrared sensors, motor and light controller and projections generate by sound in collaboration with Amir Hassan, Michael F Schreiber, Antoni Raizhekoff, Andreas Muk Haider, Christian Mairinger and many other technicians and artists. 

AT Metalab we used Mathematica to process, transform and visualize the time series data sampled there with the laser photosensor rig built and operated by Amir Esmann and Michael F Schreiber (https://plus.google.com/photos/100295373702562394797/albums/5797490011207362241).

In the coming months I will continue to work with Ciference Symphony here in Heraklion in the context of ResidenceSEA. We plan to give a performance/concert of light and sounds, with the Helix as a sonic and visual instrument - in a trio with a harp and hang instruments. 

Additionally I will continue the work on the SpaceTime Helix, started at the residency. The Helix was initially developed as an installation for exhibitions. Over the last months we have discovered its special visual and sonic properties in experiments, performances and concerts - as an audiovisual instrument. In Vienna I used different lighting equipment (LEDs, metal hallide lamps, DLP and LCD projectors, spotlights, etc), depending on the experiment and what was available. My goal is now to build a new Helix - engine and string and to develop and integrate the installation with its own lighting. Through many experiments over the past weeks, with other scientists and artists for example in the Metalab in Vienna, I have now a clear vision for finalizing this work. I look forward to exhibiting the piece in Vienna soon.

The residency at MQ was extremely fruitful. I am very grateful for the hospitality of Vienna, the Viennese artists and researchers I met, the MuseumsQuartier, Elisabeth Hajek and Margit Mössmer of the quartier21 Artist-in-Residence program for taking good care of me. Finally, Bogomor Doringer, thanks a lot for making this happen!