[ISEA2020] Artist Statement: Marco Barotti — The Egg

Artist Statement

Tags: Bio Art, Kinetic Sound Sculpture, Media Art, Worldometer

Ten thousand years ago, there were 1 million people living on the planet, fifty years ago there were 3 billion of us and, by the end of this century, we are estimated to reach a population of 10 billion people! We have modified almost every part of our planet and, as we continue to grow, our need for vital resources increases exponentially. We human beings are the main force behind every global problem we face.

Marco Barotti’s new work is a kinetic sound sculpture resembling an egg. The cycle of life, reflected in the shape of the sculpture with neither beginning nor end, symbolizes fertility and reproduction – and thus questions the impact of overpopulation. Driven by real-time data generated by the Worldometer, the sculpture constantly changes its shape.

The data produced by the Worldometer counter recording births and deaths is converted into bass frequencies. These frequencies are pitched below what is audibly perceptible by human beings, infrasound. They are too low to be heard but powerful enough to drive the subwoofer to produce movements, air pressure and sound vibrations to interact with the flexible membrane of the structure. This creates unpredictable patterns that continuously reshape the sculpture. The EGG is made out of natural rubber, a high-tech latex material produced from tree bark. marcobarotti.com/the-egg

  • Marco Barotti is a media artist based in Berlin, Germany. After music studies at the Siena Jazz Academy, he began merging sound with visual art. His work is driven by a desire to invent an artistic language in which a fictional post-futurist era is expressed through kinetic sound interventions in natural and urban environments. His installations merge audio technology, consumer objects and waste into moving sculptures triggered entirely by sound. The primary focus of his work is to create a “tech ecosystem” that plays with resemblances to animals. These artworks serve as a metaphor for the anthropogenic impact on the planet and aim to make people aware of environmental issues. His work has been exhibited internationally in: Ars Electronica (Linz) Saatchi Gallery (London), Futurium (Berlin), Polytech Festival (Moscow), Fact (Liverpool), Wro Art Center (Wroclaw) NGBK Gallery (Berlin), Würth Museum (La Rioja) Emaf (Osnabrück), Lisboa Soa (Lisbon), Nuit Blanche (Brussels), Platoon (Mexico City), Urban Lights Ruhr (Hamm), and List í Ljósi Light Festival (Iceland)