Speculative Sensing
2022
performative workshop / social sculpture
sensor glasses, calibration instruments,
sensory interface, presentation boards,
yoga mats
photos: Viktoria Conzelmann, Johanna Heilig, Gregor Peschko
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During the performative workshop »Speculative Sensing I - Light Sensor«, participants are invited to transform themselves into human light sensors. Starting point of the experiment is the question of how far technical sensors can contribute to a further sensitisation of our perception towards environmental phenomena.
The collective experiment is composed of three stages. At the beginning, the participants are introduced to different types, uses and possible potentials of digital sensor technologies as interfaces between humans and environments. Respective aspects are linked to personal everyday experiences and reflected upon in a joint exchange. In the next stage, participants receive special glasses that restrict their vision and only allow for a perception of brightness. During a calibration exercise, specific features and limits of this new mode of perceiving are explored. The third stage of the experiment includes further exercises in which the participants develop their own systems for displaying and recording levels of brightness. Finally, the entire group performs a »human sensor array« – an average measurement of the local environment that is composed of several individual perceptions. This is process is recorded via a digital interface and ultimately made tangible in the form of a polyphonic sound composition.
»Speculative Sensing I« on the one hand focuses on immediate bodily experiences of individual participants and their exchange and interaction with each other. On the other hand, the experimental process gives rise to ephemeral artifacts, choreographies and sculptural formations in public space.
The project was realized with the support of Stiftung Kunstfonds.
