‘Like water and a machine’ is a prototype that translates a talking voice into a flow of water. The voice recounting passages from a diary, events and thoughts relating to the artistic practice over a period of two years (and constantly updated) is what triggers the flow. The water, pumped out of a recipient, fills an identical recipient until the diary's last entry brings us to the present. Then the recipient is automatically emptied in silence until the other recipient is full again, then the talking starts again, and then it’s full, and then it’s emptied, and then the talking starts again, and then it’s full and then empty, and the talking starts again, and again, and again…     

 

A portrait of the artistic practice as mechanism and organism.

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‘Like water and a machine’ is a prototype working with a system controlled by an Arduino Uno R3 and a MiniMac equipped with the software Max MSP. The Arduino (micro controller AVR board) and ‘breadboard’ that both serve to make the prototype, are run by the software in the computer. The Max MSP 'patch' controls the two peristaltic liquid pumps and the liquid level sensor regulating the emptying. This kind of technology permits control and precision to the process.

 

Runtime: 32 minutes

Preparation time: 14 minutes

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