Rhythms of presence
Galerija Škuc, Ljubljana
18 November – 09 December 2016
The installation Rhythms of Presence is comprised of two large floor surfaces. One is discretely installed at an undisclosed location and the other in the exhibition space. They are identical in size and shape. The floor surface at the undisclosed location is sensing human steps, transmitting their temporal and spatial information to the exhibition space, where a grid of mechanical knockers from below the floor surface is invisibly tapping the rhythms of the remotely detected steps and following their paths. Focusing solely on rhythms and paths of everyday walking, the installation Rhythms of Presence aims to capture the invisible aspects of walking and investigate how they contribute to constituting presence, temporality and spatiality.
Displacing and superimposing the walking rhythms and paths of one place to those of another, the installation creates a hybrid and asymmetrical space where two simultaneous present times and presences interfere. A floor that becomes unknowingly performative and a floor that echoes steps from an unknown origin together form an open unsitely space that is both here, somewhere else and at the same instance nowhere and in-between. Stepping in this space one inhabits a concrete, yet un-mappable and disoriented territory. This installation is a part of artistic research project Rhythms Of Presence.
Presented at
Errant Bodies Project Space, Berlin, DE 20 November – 19 December 2015
ŠKUC Gallery, Ljublajna, SI, 18 November – 9 December 2016
Colophon
Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec: Rhythms Of Presence (2015)
Sensfloor, software, hardware, floor
Variable dimensions
Installation by
Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec
Software and hardware development
Mr. Stock Interfaces
Carpenters
Seamus Cater, Bill Earwaker (Berlin),
Aleš Bracović Strmec (Ljubljana)
Produced by
Zavod SPLOH, Ljubljana
Zavod Projekt Atol, Ljubljana
Sponsored by
Future-Shape GmbH
Tremba GmbH
Showbots Engineering GmbH
Thanks to
Robocross – Berlin
James Beckett
Artistic research project Rhythms of Presence was carried out under the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme at Bergen Academy of Art and Design – KHiB (2013-2016)
Supported by
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
City of Ljubljana – Dept. for Culture
Photo documentation
Dejan Habicht, Brandon LaBelle
Bio
Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec is Amsterdam-based artist with a particular focus in sound, new media, real-time interaction, and questions of contemporary mediation in relation to the sense of (bodily) presence. His recent work consists of spatial and sound installations, events and interventions, where (un)mediated sonic events act as central element that affectively evokes human bodily presence, while signaling its physical absence. His works encompass interdisciplinary and mixed media installations, sound interventions and electro acoustic music.
Born in 1972 (Ljubljana – Slovenia), he received BA at Trondheim Music Conservatory (Norway), BA in music composition and MA at Interfaculty Image and Sound – ArtScience, both at The Royal Conservatory in The Hague – The Netherlands, where he also followed Sonology course.
He earned his PhD in Artistic Research from Faculty of Fine Art at University in Bergen, Norway, where he was the recipient of Norwegian Artistic Research Fellowship (2013 – 2016). In 2017 he took part in Research Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale. In 2010 his work was awarded at Ars Electronica Festival in Linz – Austria.
Since 2018 he is member of artistic committee of puntWG project space in Amsterdam and a member of artistic committee of DNK – Amsterdam, a series of experimental contemporary music and sound art concerts, events, lectures and exhibitions. Together wit Sascha Pohle, he is initiatior and organizer of Home Sequence, an exhibition taking place in the private homes of Amsterdam-based artists. In 2001 he founded international cycle of sound events, lectures and workshops Bitshift in Kapelica Gallery – Ljubljana. He is currently the recipient of Mondriaan Fund Stipendium for Established Artists – Werkbijdrage Bewezen Talent (2018 – 2022).
His works were shown and performed in various museums, project spaces and festivals, amongst other at Kapelica Gallery – Ljubljana, Public Space With a Roof Gallery (PSWAR) – Amsterdam, Sonic Acts Festival – Amsterdam, Ars Electronica Festival – Linz – Austria, Museum of Modern Art – Ljubljana, AV Festival – Newcastle Upon Tyne, SKUC Gallery – Ljubljana, State Museum of Contemporary Art – Thessaloniki – Greece, Gwangju Museum of Art – Gwangju – South Korea, Reseach Pavilion – Venice – Italy, Madrid Abierto – Madrid, Musica a Metronom – Barcelona, Gaudeamus Music Week – Amsterdam, Forum neuer Musik – Köln, festival of contemporary music Contemporanea 2004 – Udine, CMMAS – Morelia, Mexico, Moon Life Concept Store, Shanghai, Toonspur – MuseumsQuartier, Vienna …
Tao G. Vrhovec Sambolec