Oculos Super Ignes Vigilantes Volavimus

Cukrarna Gallery, Poljanski nasip 40, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia
03 March – 02 April 2023

Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 10.00–19.00

SPEKTR Z – Sensor Polygon for Electromagnetism, Communication, Technology, Research and Sensing is a hybrid mobile laboratory that is being created as part of the konS ≡ Platform and started operating in July 2022, during the largest natural fire in Slovenia’s recent history on the Karst. It continued his activities as part of the ISOLABS project in the Soča river basin in August 2022, where it will be active at least until 2026.

The laboratory is of a hybrid nature, consisting of modules and equipment for remote sensing, reception and processing systems for sensor data, and a special department of the laboratory is devoted to public presentations of activities and cooperation with tactical media workers, artists, creative and high-tech industry and research institutions. The object Oculos Super Ignes Vigilantes Volavimus is designed as an abstract representation of the layers of the laboratory’s operation during fires in the Karst that included acquisition of remote sensing data and analysis as well as planning systems for their capture and processing.

Phase 1 of the project was conducted by the SPEKTR Z collaborators: Matej Bone, Dr. Urša Kanjir, Boštjan Košiček, Matej Kravanja, Dr. Martin Lamut, Dr. Aleksandra Lobnik, Bogdan Magajna, Miha Mayer, Jernej Moderc, Dr. Leon Pavlovič, Marko Peljhan, Dr. Tomaž Rodič, Dr. Mitja Skudnik, Samo Stopar, Ana Urbas, Uroš Veber as well as multiple members of the 1st and 72nd Brigade of the Slovenian Armed Forces and 15th Air Force Squadron including members of the 154th JTAC company and 107TH Air base communications and air traffic control group.

https://www.konsekvence.si/en/exhibitions/konsekvence-cukrarna/oculos/

Colophon

Production: Projekt Atol Institute | konS ≡ platform for contemporary research arts

Partners 2022: C-ASTRAL, Institute for forest management of Slovenia, Slovenian Armed Forces, GOZDIS – Forestry institute of Slovenia IOS – Institute for ecology and sensors, Civil Defense corps of Slovenia, Triglav National Park, Center of Excellence SPACE-SI, ZRC SAZU – Remote sensing section

Bio

Marko Peljhan is a theatre and radio director, conceptual artist and researcher. He founded and co- founded several still active arts organizations in the 90’s such as Projekt Atol and one of the first media labs in Eastern Europe LJUDMILA. From 1994 on he worked on Makrolab, a project that focuses on telecommunications, migrations and weather systems research in an intersection of art/science/engineering; the Interpolar Transnational Art Science Constellation and the Arctic Perspective Initiative. He is the recipient of many prizes for his work, including the 2001 Golden Nica Prize at Ars Electronica with Carsten Nicolai and his work has been exhibited internationally at multiple biennales (Venice, Lyon, Istanbul, Gwangju…) and festivals, at documenta, ISEA, Ars Electronica and museums and art institutions worldwide (YCAM, ICC-NT, PS.1. MOMA, GARAGE…).

He serves as professor and director of the MAT Systemics Lab at the University of California Santa Barbara, the Chair of the Media Arts and Technology program at UCSB, the coordinator of international cooperation of the SPACE-SI Slovenian Centre for Space Sciences and Technologies and editor at large of the music label rx:tx. In the radio spectrum he is known as S54MX.

Marko Peljhan