Pia van Gelder: Psychic synth II / Apparition apparatus

1 April – 14 July 2019
McClelland

The concurrent exhibition Solid light was accompanied by an interactive installation by Sydney-based multimedia artist Pia van Gelder, whose multimedia practice uses electronics to develop interactive installations and performances. Her Psychic synth II and Apparition apparatus continued Ostoja-Kotkowski’s innovative experimentation with contemporary technology. Psychic Synth II used electroencephalograph headsets with video and sound synthesisers to create a feedback loop between the human brain and technology, translating the participant’s brain waves into colourful abstract projections and sounds. This work offered an environment where humans and technology become complementary and continuous, influencing and responding to each other’s signals.

Apparition apparatus was an autonomous audiovisual setup featuring an early digital video mixer. The audio and video outputs of this device were plugged into their corresponding inputs, to produce an internal signal loop emitting a constant stream of abstract electronic phenomena. Van Gelder bypassed the unit’s intended use to reveal its inherent creative potential, allowing it to ‘perform’ and communicate in its own language.

Images: Pia van Gelder, Psychic synth II / Apparition apparatus 2019, installation views, McClelland. Photos Christian Capurro.

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Solid light: Josef Stanislaw Ostoja-Kotkowski

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Annette Warner, Atlas of memory: (re)visualising Gordon Ford’s natural Australian garden