CITAR Center for Science Technology in Art Porto Portugal A Sound, glass, bacteria, and wine installation.
When you put your ear to the delicately sculpted glass ear you will hear the sound of beehives amplified. These bee insect networks, pollinate the many varieties of grapes that are used to grow the Porto wine in Portugal. On occasion, the sound of telephone networks and data networks, and the beeps of satellites will add to the buzzing in this sound and glass installation.
There is another sound that is inaudible and it is the sound of fermentation.
This installation interspecies installation amplifies all forms of networks, as they support and are related to the networks of wine producers that are at the center of commerce in the city of Porto, Portugal.
The bacterial networks (yeast bacteria and Leuconostoc Oenos bacteria) which support the wine fermentation are made visible as are the sounds of bees, telephony, and satellite networks, which support this worldwide, wine distribution.
The sound in this installation is produced and played back MP3 players hooked up to amplified speakers, which are placed under the tables.
Wine glasses arranged in a bee-like shape sit on the table and are filled to different heights with blond and rough Porto wines, to further define the shape of a bee. An unexpected pleasure is how the smell of Porto fills the room.
During the opening visitors are invited to sample and drink the wine, while listening from the earpiece, while the bee networks buzz and the telephonic networks beep, and the satellite networks autonomously vibrate with human and machinic activity. Our own digestive systems become part of this interspecies network as the ingesting of this wine influences and further extends our social networks and tickles our microbiomes.
Production of the Glass involved making a 3D model of what I was looking for.
I was lucky to have Carly Simon as my glassblower and she took on the difficult challenge.
CITAR (CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE ARTS) PORTUGUESE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY Porto, Portugal Oct 29 – Nov 1, 2007
The worldwide premiere of Buzz an installation concerned with bees and wine production digital networks. Keynote address on Generative Art for Olhares de Outono invited by Luis Teixeira.
Sound mixing and electronics Ken Rinaldo
The glass was produced this last June at Pilchuck in Seattle Washington under my direction, with Artist Joe Cariati and Carlyn Ray doing the glass blowing and hot glass sculpting.
Glasses filled with varieties of different colors Porto wine to make the shape of a bee
Installation shot showing bee and glass ear to listen to sound work
Ken Rinaldo listening through glass ear
Participant listening through glass ear