Joaquin Margulis
‘Prototype I’(2020)
Video
1 minute, 41 seconds
“It has always been thought that creativity is the weapon that robotisation will not conquer, but how much of this is true?”, asks artist Joaquin Margulis Luchsinger. “With ‘Prototype I’ I try to answer, or at least get closer to the question, creating systems that address this particular characteristic of our world.“
‘Prototype I’ is a kinetic sculpture, adapted for the digital sphere and presented in ‘Future Lusting’ as a video work. The sculpture has a two-mechanism system: automated to drip and then manipulate electric blue paint. Vibrations from the sound of the metal ‘grid’ stimulate the movement of the dripping paint, while a foam roller spreads it, smoothing over the chaos of the falling droplets. In the words of the artist, “One part speaks and the other tries to silence it.”
Critiquing the machine-like quality of our daily lives, this conceptual structure is an attempt to develop a new language, to use “different types of experiences, systems and mechanisms to generate an automatic image and sound”. Joaquin believes that “as human beings we are losing empathy… we are heading towards becoming the machines that we fear so much will replace us”. However, Joaquin hopes that the current COVID-19 crisis has provided the societal pause necessary to halt this mechanical progression. He argues that the chaos the pandemic has brought in its wake “positions us in front of new patterns that will enhance our senses and direct us towards new solutions”. With Prototype I, the artist attempts to explore this moment, and the solutions it might offer for an alternative future.
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