City of Gaia

Kyungtaek Roh

〈Hybrid Cooperation Sequence〉, 2023.

Mixed media, dimensions variable.
Courtesy of the artist.

In Hybrid Cooperation Sequence, plants, humans, and machines cooperate to compose a sequence of interactions that create spontaneous narratives. Each piece among the hybrid sculptures that comprise this sequence engages with viewers through various senses, such as vision, touch, hearing. There are motion sensors and speakers installed throughout the space that allow different sequences of events to take place depending on the position of the viewer. The stage lights connected to the speakers illuminate the space in which the work is installed and transform it into an auditorium, providing a stage for both the viewer and the work.

Marimba Sequence comprises a mechanism that detects subtle electrical signals from a plant to which electromyogram sensors have been attached. When a specific signal value is reached, a mallet moves up and down to strike a bar of a marimba. It is the plant that determines when the instrument is struck. The audience can engage with this piece by turning a handle attached to an automaton to influence the musical scale of the marimba. In this way, a device that resembles a musical instrument can be sounded through an interplay among people, plants, and machines. Bubble Sequence involves electromyogram sensors attached to five plants and a device that releases soap bubbles toward one of the plants when a specific value is detected. The installation includes other pieces such as Koshi Chimes for Monstera, which can be swung by the plant’s electrical signals, and Energy Chime Bell for Plant Chamber, which produces a sound by striking a chime when the device detects the biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) emitted by the plant.