FUSION:AIR | Convertible Structures

FUSION:AIR | FUSION:AIR | Convertible Structures | EXPO

→ 4 multimedia installations translate scientific concepts into art

Fusion AIR - artistic residencies in research institutes, initiated and organized by the Qolony is drawing to a close. At the end of this week, the exhibition opening will take place, showcasing the works of the four participating artists. The event is scheduled for Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 12, 2021, starting at 2:30 PM, in the latest exhibition space in the capital, /SAC @ MALMAISON, located at 137C Plevnei Street, 2nd floor. The exhibition will remain open to the public with free access for three weeks until July 3, inclusive; visiting hours are Wednesday – Friday, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

The exhibition’s opening will be attended by the four multimedia artists involved in the project – Aura Bălănescu, Ciprian Ciuclea, Floriama Cândea, and Peter Gate – as well as scientists from the four partner research institutes: Institute of Space Sciences, Institute of Research Development for Textiles and Leather, National Institute for Research and Development in Physics of Materials-Măgurele, and National Institute for Research and Development in Plasma Physics and Radiation.

Olivia Nițis, the curator of the exhibition and the one who proposed this year’s Fusion AIR theme – Convertible Structures, stated:

“Convertible Structures is a project that analyzes the relationships between art and scientific practices, as well as the context of creating content within a specific framework and local history. The concept of the exhibition is based on the flexibility offered by the notion of conversion and the individual working processes of each artist in collaboration with the involved scientists. Four artists instrumentalize scientific materials and technologies for a convertible, transformative purpose. The exhibition also archives the creation processes and maps the working trajectories, as well as the theoretical tools for a better understanding of the complex relationship and narratives of art and science.

What you will see:

INVISIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY – echoes from the distant Universe

Ciprian Ciuclea presents a multimedia installation referring to the concrete and conceptual dimensions of the imperceptible zone around us, where particles of matter from the distant universe penetrate. The installation, created by the well-known visual artist following his artistic residency at the Institute of Space Sciences, where he worked alongside Dr. Gina Isar, speaks poetically about possible ways to represent the interaction of high-energy particles with the Earth’s atmosphere. The installation includes various performative situations, a video recording of a mini-experiment, and a set of scientific data reassembled in a minimalist logic, with strong narrative accents.

MANUSPECTRUM – an interactive work, a touch-sensitive parchment

Aura Bălănescu proposes a multisensory experience based on the concept of parchment as a multilayered carrier of information (genetic information, historical information, technological information, artistic and cultural information), defined after research carried out during her residency with Dr. Elena Badea, Dr. Iulia Caniola, MSc. Simona Păunescu, MSc. Emanuel Hadîmbu, from the National Institute for Research and Development in Textiles and Leather. A complex project that addresses the entire perceptual system, starting from tactility and expanding to auditory and visual, even kinesthetic – perceiving reality with the entire corporality.

IMplant – an installation exploring how different structures influence the materiality of different bodies

The work presents the results of an interspecies experiment proposed by bioartist Floriama Cândea, in a research project developed with Dr. Adrian Enache, Drd. Luminița Rădulescu, Dr. Mihaela Beregoi, Dr. Mihaela Bunea, and Dr. Ionuț Enculescu, scientific researchers at the National Institute for Research and Development in Physics of Materials. IMPlant proposes a collection of iterated objects (natural and artificial) that transit the boundaries between species, between natural and artificial, or between reality and fiction in an attempt to find new narratives about the relationship between humans and nature.

[The Cell] - or how living cells behave under sounds with specific frequencies

Peter Gate, anthropologist and experimental musician, along with Drd. Cristina Elena Staicu, Dr. Florin Jipa, and Dr. Marian Zamfirescu, researchers at the National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, have conceived and carried out an experiment in which living cells were immersed in an acoustic environment with pre-set frequencies, and it was found that cells react positively to these sonic stimuli. In the exhibition, the result of a cymatics experiment of sonic frequency generation will be displayed on a classic canvas with acrylic substance. The project of “sonic infusion” of living cells with the sounds created by the artist represents a higher level of scientific-artistic challenge.

WHEN: → Friday, June 11 | 2:30 PM

WHERE: → /SAC @ MALMAISON | ATELIERELE MALMAISON (Calea Plevnei 137 C)

CURATOR: Olivia Nițis
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Mihaela Ghiță

SCIENTIFIC PARTNERS:
The National Institute for Research and Development in LaserPlasma, and Radiation Physics
The Institute of Space Science
The National Institute for Research and Development in Materials Physics
The National Institute for Research and Development in Textiles and Leather.

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

Cultural project co-funded by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN). The project does not necessarily represent the position of The Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or the manner in which the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.