Catalyst Euterpe was conceived as a series of events and objects based on the Seikilos Epitaph. In our research to prepare the debut of the work we learned about the Antikythera Mechanism and incorporated it.
At the core of this project are objects that embody the seemingly contradictory qualities of the eternal and ephemeral. One, an ancient funeral Stele inscribed with a poem and music about the eternal and ephemeral (with a complex history), and the other, the earliest example of an orrery – and considered by some as the world’s oldest computer. Both objects, believed to have originated from approximately the same time and place, exhibit a complex orbital path through time and culture. Within Catalyst Euterpe their internal and external qualities orbit each other at “angles” created by media, form (time) and perception.
This kinetic interrelationship has a heterodoxical effect on the qualities of both original objects. This effect is a poetry embodied in the objects and forms that comprise the work – the sculpture, code, video, music, and performance. The eternal and ephemeral are real, and persistent, but their reality is kinetic and transitory and influenced by known and mysterious forces. Culture is formed from similar dynamics across a wide range of qualities. The perception and experience of this bounded fluidity, this ebb and flow, embodied in various states and degrees and perceptions is central to the aesthetics of Catalyst Euterpe.
flickr set
music (featuring Carlotta Buiatti)
video
interview about the project on Cosmos Radio, NYC.
essay about the project
For this first installation we had two elements: a collaborative, networked performance with artist/vocalist Carlotta Buiatti and artist Fabiola Faidiga, entitled Catalyst Euterpe/Through the Waves, that took place on November 18, 2018 in the Hydrodynamic Station of the Trieste Old Port, and a sculptural installation composed of 3d resin prints, video, and sound, that was exhibited at the Fesival di Art e Robotica curated by Maria Campitelli at the Hydrodynamic Station of the Trieste Old Port during November 2018.
A future performance of Catalyst Euterpe/Through the Waves is scheduled for March, 2019 in Malchina, Italy as part of L’ENERGIA DEI LUOGHI, curated by Fabiola Faidiga and Casa C A V A.
The sculptural installation included two 3d prints in resin, based on the Seikilos Epitaph and Antikythera mechanism, video, and music.
Below is information about each of the elements of the installation.
About the original objects:
The Seikilos Stele and its inscriptions.
The Antikythera Mechanism.
About the objects within the installation.