Abstract

Over the past two years, I have developed several autonomous devices meant to act within natural spaces as part of the electronic art intervention  project Absences. This paper gives an overview of the challenges brought by this project. It gives actual and potential solutions as well as lessons learned through the research-creation process and opens up to the importance of adaptivity in future work.

Acting within nature
Electronic and natural systems have inherent differences. It is thus not surprising that introducing artificial autonomous devices in a naturally stabilized ecosystem is not as simple as it looks. The first challenge of artistic electronic intervention in nature is the mere “survival” of the device. Weather conditions such as extreme temperature, humidity and sunlight can harm components. In the context of using solar cells, such as was the case for all interventions so far, other factors need to be considered. Snow, dust and falling leaves can block the cells, while the shortening of days during Winter and the presence of clouds will reduce energy supplies.

• Sofian Audry (CA) is a new media artist from Montréal, Canada. His practice mixes new technologies with the social and cognitive mechanisms of human being. His recent work focuses on electronic interventions, incorporating technological objects in the natural environment.

Full text (PDF) p.  469-471