Computer fossils and a synthesizer. A branch to be the spine of technology. Moved, separated and combined. We can behold a figure in this digital matter. Jakub Kubica is a multidisciplinary artist from Žilina, Slovakia. He renders dynamic sculptures immobile. Visuals and sound performances. External fixations link rock and wood above mirrors in a static hold. Sensors and purple cables attached. The objects are having an ECG. As if kinetic art paused from moving. Integrating nature into “reverse sculptures”. An archaeologist observing artificial intelligence. From the lens of a post human admiring these fragile finds.
If you got a stamp when landing on earth, like entering a nightclub, what icon does it have?
A blue rotation symbol in the spinning direction of earth.
Do you remember moments of childlike wonder?
As a child, I would cover my toy cars with aluminium. Observing how they would get damaged over days and weeks. The surface was moulding scratches and other incidents. When I visited a museum for the first time, I remember looking at old fossils, bones and ceramics. Eyes at our environment navigating with a new perspective. Perception of time has merged into my artistic career.
What materials and textures do you like to touch?
I touch and knock on things to understand their material. It is a combination of sound and texture that I enjoy. Coal looks weighty and robust. When touching it and listening, you reveal the opposite.
by Jakub Kubica
by Jakub Kubica
When did you built something for the first time?
Growing up, I built something every day. My brother and I were making up fictional characters. We invented an “improvised movie set”. A sort of a game. Like a soap opera that could go on forever. Making things is essential in my life. On the lookout for the new. Finding mechanical solutions for my designs.
A rock with sensors glued to it. What are they detecting?
They are heart rate sensors. With the display number “310”, they suggest a limited amount of stones available. Understood to be a precious source and material. Showing it as something rare can open up new perceptions to think about it. Rocks and soil create our space and environment.
The same way broken bones are put into a fixation – your objects are too?
The idea of treating rocks as humans. With broken legs. The external fixations are made by me as I could not afford the medical ones. It is a hopeless attempt to fix natural stone before it becomes powder. Demonstrating their fragility. I gravitate around clinical aesthetics. And towards separation. I use them as blank canvas that I can amplify with soil, stone and wood. The deformation with new shades.
Which environment would you want to live in – as a rock?
Looking at it from a living perspective: Somewhere far from the water before I disappear to dust. I would love to see the time lapse of that process. When | visited caves in Slovakia you could see similar marks as tree layers. Speleothems act as climate recorders. The formations tell us about the past of earth.
What is a “Computer fossil?
A fossil that holds valuable information about the time and life on this planet. The search algorithms that are feeding AI are providing us with a snapshot of the human mind. Honest and unfiltered.
How do you create sound landscapes?
I usually think of my inner environments. Consciousness linked with nerve systems. The heart is pumping blood with its internal tempo. The stomach slowly processing food. Sounds of the organs. I enjoy the process of discovering them. It is like a laboratory. 10 hours out of recordings, I will spot 5 min that strike me. Sound conductivity is what makes the digital organic and relatable. Becoming asymmetric when connected to a linear electronic device. A self-exploration without esoteric shortcuts.I want to interact with my tools. I am less interested in melodies. Rather about atmosphere and textures. Beyond what we can perceive.
What moment in nature you remember observing?
I was born in Slovakia surrounded by mountains. My family and I would go on hikes. After a huge storm, all trees in the National park were infected by parasites. Left was an unsettling silence. One tree standing in a field of fallen trees. A post-apocalyptic landscape in mud brown.
What is the story of your series “Please do not hesitate to contact me.”?
The title displays a fraction of our modern digital communication. The redundant placement at the end of an E-mail. A poetic hyper gesture. Between the digital and physical matter.
What would someone find in the Archaeological discovery installation in 3000?
People wondering: “What is my IP?”. The most asked question on google search.
Next exhibition/ 25.11. @nadan_berlin
