Lost Calls of Cloud Mountain Whirligigs (2009-10): Mac-mini, TFT display, custom built software in Processing, lens and lacquered frame.
With the magical presence of book illustrations that have come to life Lost Calls of Cloud Mountain Whirligigs combines boredomresearch’s playful use of computer modelling and poetic rendering to create an imagined world of intrigue and beauty. In this work boredomresearch make the natural progression from static landscapes made possible with computational technologies.
At the very peaks of a craggy mountain range live a population of imagined flying life forms called Whirligigs. These alluring beings, inspired by birds of paradise, flower petals and flying machines, spend their days above the mountain swishing their ornate plumed tails. As they tire they settle on wires, singing their melancholic songs before curling their tails and preparing for sleep.
The Whirligigs have a lifespan of a few days and as old Whirligigs are lost new ones are born. Each new Whirligig is unique, often brightly coloured with flamboyant tail plumage. When darkness comes they use their tails to give electrified displays, glowing and pulsating. The Whirligigs virtual world runs in real time shifting slowly through different light cycles, creating subtle plays of light in their imagined world. On a full moon the Whirligigs appear in silhouette taking on a mysterious quality.
Exhibitions:
Uncontainable:Broken Stillness, ISEA, Istanbul (2011);
Broken Stillness, Salisbury Art Centre, Salisbury (2011);
Electrohype Biennial 2010, Ystad Art Museum, Ystad Sweden (2010-11);
Current, Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston (2011);
Chasing Stillness, Solo Exhibition, DAM Gallery, Berlin (2009).
Links:
Other video documentation
Image documentation
Interview on Whirligigs