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Superblue/
Superblue presents Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse Topology
Superblue returns to Basel for a second year, to once again take over the 2500sqm ground floor event hall of the Messeplatz, greeting audiences as they first enter the fair. This year, Superblue presents Pulse Topology, the latest artwork in pioneering Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s ongoing Pulse Series. Recognized for his interactive installations at the intersection of architecture and performance art, Lozano-Hemmer’s works are activated by the real-time detection of viewers’ biometrics such as heartbeats, breaths, voices, or fingerprints.
Pulse Topology is composed of 6,000 lightbulbs suspended at different heights, creating a series of crests and valleys–an intimate landscape that visitors are invited to traverse. Each lightbulb glimmers to the pulse of a different participant, which contributes to a connective arrangement. Custom-made pulse sensors record visitor heartbeats; when a new participant interacts with the installation, their pulse is added to the canopy of recordings above them, with the newest recording replacing the oldest.
Forming a platform for self-representation, in Pulse Topology individual heartbeats come together to create an immersive chorus of light and sound. Translating an interior force to an exterior form, Lozano-Hemmer makes tangible the otherwise invisible register of the heartbeat, which glows and then fades in the spirit of a memento mori.
Pulse Topology is composed of 6,000 lightbulbs suspended at different heights, creating a series of crests and valleys–an intimate landscape that visitors are invited to traverse. Each lightbulb glimmers to the pulse of a different participant, which contributes to a connective arrangement. Custom-made pulse sensors record visitor heartbeats; when a new participant interacts with the installation, their pulse is added to the canopy of recordings above them, with the newest recording replacing the oldest.
Forming a platform for self-representation, in Pulse Topology individual heartbeats come together to create an immersive chorus of light and sound. Translating an interior force to an exterior form, Lozano-Hemmer makes tangible the otherwise invisible register of the heartbeat, which glows and then fades in the spirit of a memento mori.
About Superblue/
Superblue is a ground-breaking enterprise dedicated to supporting artists in realizing their most ambitious visions and engaging audiences with experiential art. Its network of artists encompasses the leading practitioners of experiential art, whose practices catalyze engagement with the most pressing issues of our time and generate new perspectives on our world.Through its experiential art centres, which are specifically designed for presenting large-scale, immersive art installations, Superblue provides artists with expanded opportunities to transport audiences to the new worlds they create. Superblue additionally acts as an advocate and agent for experiential artists by fostering opportunities for them to expand the reach of their work through collaborations with museums, collectors, visual and performing arts festivals, architects, municipalities and place-makers. Superblue provides these partners with unparalleled expertise and support for the production, installation and presentation of large-scale experiential works, through collaborative presentations, public and private commissions and acquisitions.
In the coming years, Superblue will open new experiential centres across the U.S. and internationally and is developing augmented and virtual reality platforms for artists who are exploring our rapidly evolving relationship with the digital realm.
Learn more at superblue.com
