The Roadtrip today visited Centre d'Art Santa Mònica. Thanks to help from curator Manuel Guerrero, we were able to have a tour of their new exhibition in English. On the top floor of the Centre we found a collection of new media projects organized by the Swiss government, entitled Think Art — Act Science: Swiss Artists-in-Residence. The curatorial conceit was to pair a wide range of of artists with scientists or science labs. The outcomes are the result of artists exploring and creatively responding to what they found.
As exhibition notes suggest, the project is arranged around three main research themes addressed by artistic investigations: Ecology and Environment, Spatial Awareness and Emotions, and Exploration of New Technologies. Within these themes, the fields of scientific inquiry from environmental science and bio-technology to artificial intelligence are reinterpreted.
For example, in the image above, our guide and Roadtripper Kaitlin Randolph [right] consider Hina Strüver and Mätti Wütrich's Regrowing Eden [2010], which examines the consequences of genetic engineering by creating genetically modified organisms.
At the bottom, Christian Gonzenbach's QUARK Quantum Art Crystal [2010] is a mechanical random generator. When the neo tubes of the crystal switch on and off, they resemble a Newtonian motion that creates a quantum-situation.
Although the spectacular main exhibition space was closed for installation of a new show, Santa Monica is one of the most impressive venues for new media works in all of Europe. – John Schott
