Daniel Baker’s solo exhibit Ebb & Flow on display at the IMC Lab + Gallery is the result of a residency programme and part of a series organized by the gallery which pairs artists with professional technologists to facilitate the creation of collaborative projects. Baker worked with IMC founder James Tunick for nine months to create Ebb & Flow, a kinetic installation that is primarily data-driven by the orbit of the moon and the ebb and flow of the tide.
Samples of sea trash scavenged from a variety of lakes, rivers and oceans were frozen into resin sculptures. Each sculpture corresponds to a specific weather buoy taken from cities like New York City, Anchorage, Honolulu, New Orleans and Seattle. The high or low tide of each city determines the height of each sculpture. As soon as the moon orbits the earth and the tides shift, the sculptures move up or down. The developed data is what drives the network of engines to produce the movement of the sculptures. The presence of spectators involuntarily contributes to the motion and the interactive nature of the project. Sounds are also factors of the upwards motion. And so, the mission continues of a place which has been putting professional technicians and artists together since 2001, resulting in collaborative projects involving art and science or the analogical and virtual worlds.
«Daniel Baker. Ebb and Flow», IMC + Lab, New York, until February 11. 2015 (on the occasion of the finissage, today, the artist will talk to the public)
The IMC Lab + Gallery aims to connect art, tech research, and education in meaningful ways. Inspired in-part by institutions like Ars Electronica and Tisch ITP, the interdisciplinary studios, lab, the exhibition space, the multimedia shows and live performances, tools and online platforms, all serve to educate and engage the public while helping artists + coders realize new ideas.
images (all) Daniel Baker, Ebb and Flow, courtesy of The IMC + Lab + Gallery
