“I can think infinity. But I can’t count up to one hundred thousand.”
-Morton, Timothy (2013). Hyperobjects
Global climate change, quantum fluctuations, the distribution of cosmic rays, and the perpetual looping of numerous digital audio samples worldwide—all these phenomena are continuously proliferating and disseminating in forms that lie beyond our limits of noesis.
While the human mind can conceptualize and grapple with the notion of infinity, there exists a challenge in conceiving 'very large finitude'; it can only be comprehended as a part of it. This conceptual framework is applicable bidirectionally, encompassing both the extremes and the infinitesimal.
Now, the machines endowed with an expansive array of sensors, data, and mathematical formulas are analyzing, normalizing, abstracting, and delivering the entire phenomena to us. Then the pivotal question emerges: Have we commenced the process of perceptually recognizing, albeit in a nebulous state, the extremal and infinitesimal hyperobjects through these advancements?
Within this context, if one posits the hypothetical scenario of an ordinary individual attaining an elevated perspective akin to an overman through technological advancements, can this augmentation also yield revolutionary poetic inspirations?
This multi-faceted project, comprising three distinct artworks, explores the dynamics of hyper-proliferation-distribution and hyper-noesis. The latter arises as a consequence of the perception and recognition of the former, phenomena that have surpassed our conventional thresholds of perception
Philip Liu, 〈Thunder Concurrency〉
The entire period, Culture Station Seoul 284, The ground floor
Metal Plates, Motors, Resonance and Woofer Speakers, Contact Microphones, LED lights, each 220×100×100cm
This work constitutes an exploration into the holistic perception of thunder as a singular entity, beyond the conventional understanding of its constituent elements. Specifically, it endeavors to examine the concurrent apprehension of thunder occurrences worldwide.
The installation comprises nine metal plates similar to a specialized percussive instrument known as a thunder sheet. The left section corresponds to the Asian region, the middle section to Europe/Africa, and the right section to the Americas. Real-time climate data streams are employed to synchronize the installation with global lightning activity. Upon the occurrence of a lightning strike on Earth, the corresponding section of the installation emits a synchronized flash of light. Following a short length of delay, one of the three metal plates within the corresponding geographical grouping vibrates, producing a nuanced thunder sound.
The artist's fascination with the dramatic atmosphere generated by the sound of thunder and the phenomenon of lightning started in his childhood. However, his appreciation for thunder remains grounded in its entertainment value, devoid of any worship or fear as a supernatural phenomenon, in contrast to the practices of primitive men. This alignment with the evolving cognitive capabilities of humanity has transformed the perception of thunder from a mystical occurrence to a comprehensible and non-supernatural phenomenon.
He posits that, akin to historical shifts in perception, future advancements in human sensory augmentation through technological progress may prompt a paradigmatic change in the understanding of thunder. This work, therefore, serves as an inquiry into whether the continued extension of human senses will ultimately lead to an aesthetic exploration and a comprehensive understanding of thunder as a global phenomenon, rather than merely as the collection of constituent elements
This work explores the 'hidden state of affairs' that exists between phenomena of vastly different scales.
Phenomena operating at infinitesimal scales, such as quantum random number generators and the activities of massive celestial bodies contributing to the signals detected by cosmic ray detectors, remain distinct from the human realm. These sets of information are beyond human control. Despite the intensity of conflicts and noise in the human world, celestial bodies adhere to their original trajectories of elegant curves, and quanta continue to fluctuate as they always have. Although humans cannot exert control over these phenomena, we have gained knowledge of their existence and acquired the capacity to perceive them.
The information emanating from these realms is currently subjected to normalization through technology, imbued with materiality, and results in the generation of intriguing audio-visual patterns. Positioned between these two extremal domains is a real-time video portraying our physical reality: Earth—a vast entity that proves challenging to intuitively comprehend but undergoes gradual transformations over time.
These three disparate worlds of vastly different scales, originally cannot be associated due to the distinct laws and disparate intensities, converge in this installation, engendering a harmonious pattern within the hyper-noesis conducted by the visitors. This amalgamation may be interpreted as the recognition of a 'hidden state of affairs' or the attainment of enlightenment, a pursuit often undertaken in Eastern philosophy through meditative practices.
Philip Liu, 〈Normalizing Infinitesimal Infinite〉
The entire period, Culture Station Seoul 284,The second floor
3-channel video, color, 4-channel audio, Quantum Random Number Generators, Real-time Video Streaming, Cosmic Ray Detectors, Size Variable
인공지능기반 소리 재생산 프로그램을 이용한, 무한 재생산을 다룬 퍼포먼스 작품이다.
이 퍼포먼스에서 실시간으로 입력되는 사운드는 작가가 개발한 디퓨전 모델(diffusion model)기반의 미세변주(micro-variation) 알고리즘과, 기존에 존재하는 물리 공간 울림 재현 시스템을 이용해 계속해서 재생산되며 음악적 패턴을 만들어간다. 그와 동일한 원리로 작가가 입력하는 이미지 또한 계속 재생산되며 변주된다.
녹음 장비 개발 이전에는 동일한 사운드가 두 번 발생된다는 것은 있을 수 없는 일이었다. 스피커, 매질, 공간 등에 내재된 카오스(chaos) 원리가 우리를 완벽히 똑같은 사운드를 두 번 듣는 것을 여전히 불가능하게 만들지만, 같다고 느껴질 만큼 유사한 소리를 우리는 언제든 다시 들을 수 있게 되었다. 그러나 사람들의 듣는 환경은 모두 다르고, 원래는 동일하였던 사운드들은 끊임없이 듣는 오디오 시스템과 공간의 특성에 따라 변형된다. 이와 같은 사실을 오마쥬(homage)하고자 이 퍼포먼스에서는 하나의 사운드로부터 파생된 객체들을 다시 모아서 들으면 어떨까에 대해 다룬다. 예를 들면, 인터넷 방송을 통해 사용자들이 들은, 그들의 공간에 울렸던 모든 내 목소리를 다시 합쳐서 들어보면 어떨까에 대해 상상하고 시뮬레이션 하는 과정을 소재로 작품을 진행하기도 한다.
이와 같이 가상 소리 초객체를 만들어 가는 과정을 통해 소리의 무한 재생산에 대해 고찰해 보고자 한다.
Philip Liu, 〈Prolific-Echoic Undulations〉
11.25, Culture Station Seoul 284,The ground floor
Lecture Performance, 1-channel video, color, 2-channel audio, c.a. 12min
