Elixir Machine
Elixir Machine (Sphere1)
Media art installation, 2018.
3D prints, steel, aluminium, various substances, generative interactive artwork, glassware, electronics, e-book
Software, electronics, objects: Tanja Vujinović, Milos Roglić, Borut Savski, Stefan Doepner, Pero Kolobarić, Roman Bevc, Bevec d.o.o.
3D modelling: Tanja Vujinović
Consulting: Jan Kušej, Derek Snyder, Jelena Guga, Milos Roglić
Coproduction: KID Kibla
Production: Tanja Vujnovic / Ultramono, 2018.
Project is supported by Department of Culture of the City of Ljubljana
Elixir Machine resembles a laboratory for examination of our complex relationship we nowadays have with nature and especially with its role in our health and wellbeing. The generative segment of the sculpture transposes the exhibition visitors into the virtual world of seemingly primordial nature. Besides the camera, object a is attached to the sculpture construction. The object purifies the previously prepared liquid substance, which is dispersed into the air of the exhibition space. The previously prepared substance used here is an alcohol extraction of more than 60 ingredients. A few drops of this substance goes into the distilled water, purified through active charcoal within object a, and is dispersed into the gallery space.
Installation presents numerous health boosting “natural” substances, ranging from everyday herbal teas, minerals, to vitamins. While reading about historical examples of amalgam medications, I was inspired by Theriak and Mithridatium, which are both examples of cumulative and random mixtures of medicaments in the past.
Within each installation of the Sphere 1, there are two conceptual objects, the objects a and B, where a always represents the unattainable, the fleeting other, while B is the representation of us inside the contemporary world of “ecotechnics”. These objects are inspired by the history of anthropomorphization and are, as Sherry Turkle would say, “objects- to-think-with”. Object a represents our striving towards the creation of a synthetic being, while Object B stands for the human being in transition – a robomorphic being, a cyborg-becoming-a-thing.
The future of wellbeing lies in the development of contemporary science and technology, as well as in our readiness to understand them and debate their many elements and implications. We often deal with the Pharmakon, fluctuating between poison and remedy, but also between the notions of clean and dirty, having in mind that the substances in our environment are the pointers of our homeostatic balances.
Virtual world for this sculpture was developed in Unity 3D software. The moment the camera recognises a human shape, it mirrors it within the application. At first, the shape is recognisable by the visitor standing in front of the camera mirroring the visitor’s movements within the projection. At that point, the avatar looks like a loose outline of human shape, defined by the particles resembling herbs. Gradually, the human shape transforms into a mixture of geometric shapes that change form and finally stabilise into a unique shape that is stored in the work’s database. Geometric shapes are generated from the group of ten objects consisting of a random number of cubes, lines, and plates. Positions and rotations are also randomly generated but with some restrictions in terms of the lines being parallel to one another. The order of geometric elements is determined by Bridson's algorithm, which is an approximation of Poisson-disc distribution. Animations of floating elements are based on Perlin noise, a technique developed by Ken Perlin.
Elixir Machine, media art installation, 2018.
Poster with complete list of substances used in making the mixture for the installation.
Complete list of substances used in making the mixture for the installation
1 Silver (Argentum; Ag; srebro)
2 Vanilla bean powder (Vanilla Planifolia; Vanilla Orchid; Vanila)
3 Common Walnut (Juglans regia; Oreh; Orah)
4 Bamboo Leaf (Bambusoideae; Bambus)
5 Elderberry (Sambucus; Bezeg; Zova)
6 Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum; Borovnica)
7 Common Hop (Humulus lupulus; Hmelj)
8 Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla; Kamilice; Kamilica)
9 European ash (Fraxinus excelsior; Jesen Veliki; Jasen)
10 Lavender (Lavandula; Lavanda)
11 Sage (Salvia officinalis; Žajbelj; Žalfija)
12 Yellow Mustard (Sinapis alba; Zenf; Senf)
13 Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis; Slez)
14 Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis; Lovor)
15 Woundwort (Anthyllis vulneraria; Pravi ranjak; Alpski ranjenik)
16 Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis; Rožmarin; Ruzmarin)
17 Industrial hemp, seed (Cannabis sativa; Industrijska konoplja, seme)
18 Shungite (Šungit)
19 Semiprecious Stones (Poludragi kamni; Poludrago kamenje)
20 Sea Salt (Morska sol; Morska so)
21 Gold (Aurum, Au; Zlato)
22 Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum; Kostanj; Kesten)
23 Nameko (Pholiota Microspora; Židki Luskinar; Nameko pečurka)
24 Shiitake (Lentinula edodes; Šitake goba; Šitake pečurka)
25 Bach Flower Remedies N39 (Bachove cvetne esence; Bahove cvetne esencije)
26 Industrial Hemp, dried leaf Juice (Cannabis Sativa; Industrijska konoplja, list)
27 Ginseng (Panax Ginseng; Ginseng)
28 Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid; L-ascorbic acid, Vitamin C)
29 Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris; Gozdni slezénovec; Crni Slez)
30 Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxy tryptamine; Horomon Melatonin)
31 Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis; Ognjič; Neven)
32 Hemp (Cannabis Indica; Konoplja)
33 Immortelle (Helichrysum arenarium; Peščeni smilj; Smilje)
34 WheatGrass (Triticum aestivum; Pšenica)
35 Common Dandelion, root (Taraxacum officinale; Regrat; Maslačak)
36 Multivitamin
37 Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare; Marjetica, Proletnja rada)
38 Epsom Salt (Magnesium sulfate; MgSO4(H2O)x; Grenka sol; Gorka so)
39 Flaxseeds (Linum usitatissimum; Laneno seme)
40 Plantago (Plantago major; Trpotec; Bokvica)
41 Homeopatic remedies: Hepar Sulf, Bryonia, Pulsatila, Acidium Arsenicum, Lachesis
42 Boswellia Serata (Olibanum Indicum; Indijska bozvelija; Bosvelija)
43 Quince Leaf (Cydonia oblonga; Kutina; Dunja)
44 Birch Leaf (Betula; Breza)
45 Activated Charcoal (Aktivno oglje; Aktivni ugalj)
46 Wild lettuce (Lactuca Virosa; Divja solata; Divlja salata)
47 Couch Grass (Elytrigia repens; Plazeča pirnica; Pirovina)
48 Rose Hip (Rosae caninae fructus; Navadni šipek, plod; Šipak, plod)
49 Magnesium Citrate (Magnezium Citrat; Magnezijum citrat)
50 Barley Grass (Hordeum vulgare; Ječmen; Ječam)
51 Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium; Navadni rman; Hajdučka trava)
52 Dandelion Flower and Leaf (Taraxum; Regrat; Maslačak)
53 Liquorice, root (Glycyrrhiza glabra; Golostebelni sladki koren; Sladić, koren)
54 Rose (Rosa; Vrtnica; Ruža)
55 Lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera; Lotos, seme)
56 Lingzhi mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum; Svetlikava pološčenka; Hrastova sjajnica)
57 White Clay (Kaolinite clay mineral; Bela glina)
58 Giant Cane (Arundo donax; Navadni trstikovec; Ševar)
59 Cattail (Typha; Širokolistni rogoz; Rogoz)
60 Linden (Tilia; Lipa)
61 Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera; Rdečelistna sliva; Džanarika)
62 European Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum; Crna Pomoćnica)
63 Goji berries (Lycium barbarum; Navadna kustovnica, plod; Godži bobice)
64 Peppermint Leaves (Mentha × piperita; Poprova meta; Pitoma nana)
65 Acorn (Quercus; Želod; Žir)
66 Jasmine Green Tea (Camellia sinensis, Jasminum; Jasminov zeleni čaj)
67 Ethanol (Etanol)
Garden of the Elixir Pill
Garden of the Elixir Pill (Sphere1)
Media art installation, 2018.
3D prints, custom-made glassware, rainwater, distilled water, silica sand, wood, generative software application, various substances, electronics, video works
Software, electronics, objects by Tanja Vujinović, Milos Roglić, Pero Kolobarić, Borut Savski, Stefan Doepner, Roman Bevc, Bevec d.o.o.
Project consultants: Jan Kušej, Lenart Krajnc, Derek Snyder, Urška Dremelj, Stefan Doepner, Borut Savski, Jelena Guga, Milos Roglić, Maja Kodre, Aleksander Rečnik, Aleš Rode, Maja Berločnik, KAP Jasa (Saša Iskrić, Janez Vizjak)
Generative segment of the first iteration of the installation uses the text of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching translated by Tim Chilcott, 2005
Production: Ultramono, 2018.
Project is supported by Department of Culture of the City of Ljubljana
The emergence of elements, whether in systems theory, science or natural world, is a phenomenon in which large entities or complex systems arise from the process of interaction and self-organisation of smaller, simpler elements. Examples of such structures are the living systems of ant colonies or bird flocks, but they also include technological structures of individual elements having a certain amount of freedom of action, such as city traffic or the organisational phenomena in computer simulations and cellular automata that apply the concept of Boids, Swarm Intelligence (SI) and Cellular robotic systems.
The installation employs artificial units in cosmogonic maps in order to create an outlook of the past, present, and future constructions of the world. Inspired by the notion of frequencies that affect the elements in cosmos, three instances of bots generate frequencies that slowly fluctuate from two predetermined frequency points using pseudo-random algorithms and, by doing so, they gently affect the silica sand placed beneath them. The smaller bots, whose electronic circuits are partially made from the material they crawl on, the silica sand, move by the means of vibration and leave trail marks in the sand. The three bigger ones, which generate frequency vibrations, rearrange the sand underneath by gently emitting their own vibrations.
The third level of the installation, the projected stage where virtual instances of bots exist, is the stage of simulation. Here, they act or appear in a remediating role. They try to explain the workings of the universe to themselves and to us, the audience. Bots are regenerating important philosophical texts using the Markov Chain algorithm, continuously displaying different, reformed statements. The algorithm calculates probabilities of appearances of particular words from the original text or, more precisely, the appearance of words after the N word (the number for N chosen in this work is 2). It then generates new text by starting from random words from the original text and ending when it calculates that it has reached the end of a sentence. This action opens many questions regarding the creation of artificial agents capable of processing and displaying meaningful content that goes beyond mere calculations and statistical outcomes.
Bots within the virtual application generate the text based on the database consisting of the following seminal works: Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy; Marcus Aurelius: Meditations; Seneca: Morals of a Happy Life, Benefits, Anger and Clemency; Aristotle:The Poetics; Aristotle:The Politics; Anne Conway: The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy;
About the first iteration and detailed description
Part of the installation devoted to bots is presented in the form of a cognitive map for understanding the state of things, for understanding our lifeworld of “ecotechnics”, to use Jean-Luc Nancy’s term. The Bots is a mix of Zen garden, sandbox, robot combat, and social involvement of non-human and human agents. Bots and the environment make up a small universe inspired by Chinese “scholar’s gardens” and Zen gardens. Animism, widely present in eastern mythologies and popular cultures, offers an alternative understanding of artificial intelligence agents as autonomous beings and potential carriers of assigned consciousness. They try to explain the workings of the universe to themselves and to us, the audience, as well as to decipher the philosophical book Tao Te Ching, which has had numerous interpretations and contextualisations throughout history. Bots are regenerating Tao Te Ching using Markov Chain algorithm, continuously displaying different, reformed statements. In one of the iterations, the installation additionally had glass capsules with packed substances (quicksilver, active charcoal, epsom salt, minerals) and the moving mountain-like element.
The object resembling a tree has a vertical stream for the creation of medicament - the Pharmakon. It passed drops of rainwater from one vessel to a pre-made mixture of clay and Ganoderma Lucidum powder, and to a sea sponge placed at the bottom. During the second installment of this work, in addition to the vertical process that this time included berries from the European Black Nightshade plant, the installation had the vertical line of glass vessels hanging from branches attached to the tree. The vessels included rainwater and minerals Cinnabar and Realgar, Boswellia sacra essential oil, and Lead. These elements refer to historical examples of medicaments, like Spongia Somnifera as the sponge used to deliver analgesic and anesthetic medication in the past, while others were widely used in cultures all over the world for disinfection (Boswellia), protection and eventually minor health benefits (Cinnabarit), and purification rituals. The obvious potential of some of these elements to become poison relates to many properties of natural elements and medication, but it is the dose itself that determines the effectiveness of a substance. All of the elements used in this specific setting are employed to help us think about our complex entanglement with nature.
Part of the installation named Station is meant to bring forth the elements used in the field while collecting particular substances. It contains the objects called Collectors, and it also expands on particular elements of other installations in the exhibition. Placed inside, the Collectors and other related objects serve to explain the details of the overall project. The Collectors as “objects-to-think-with” help us negotiate our relationship with nature, its many streams and fluxes, and enable us to think about measuring and tracking ourselves and our environment, as well as getting into homeostatic balances with our environment. The first instalment showed many elements used in the making of the installation: supplements, herbal extracts, vials and vessels for extractions, and other smaller equipment. The second presentation included two examples of the Collectors objects – the glass vials inserted in the ground of a field and the glass bowls hanging from the branches of trees, both collecting rainwater for the installations. Prior to the second presentation, three actions were executed involving the attachment of glass collectors to kites in order to collect aerosol particles and water. The glass vials with steel frames, inspired by the shape of the Typha plant, were placed in the gallery inside the two containers containing three types of plants (Arundo Donax, Typha, and Miscanthus sinensis). Arundo Donax and Typha were harvested from one of the locations where Collectors were placed to gather water samples. Inside the vials, I made an open process of creating a (philosophical) medicament by inserting rods for measuring conductivity of electricity into the mixture of Ethanol, distilled water, and a piece of Arundo Donax reed together with a seed of Cannabis Sativa acquired in a regular health food store. The process was sonified.
Garden of the Elixir pill, media art installation, 2018.
Spiritus Agens
Spiritus Agens (Sphere1)
Media art installation, 2018.
3D prints, custom-made glass objects, steel, custom-made electronics, alcohol, water, custom-made software
Software, electronics, objects: Tanja Vujinović, Borut Savski, Stefan Doepner, Roman Bevc, Bevec d.o.o.
3D modelling: Tanja Vujinović
Consulting: Jan Kušej, Stefan Doepner, Borut Savski, Jelena Guga
Text-to-Morse code translator: Stephen C. Phillips
Coproduction: KID Kibla
Production: Ultramono, 2018.
Project is supported by Department of Culture of the City of Ljubljana
Spiritus Agens is inspired by our close connections with Ethanol and its numerous versions. The contemporary world, hygiene, and our wellbeing are unimaginable without it. Aqua vita, or the water of life, an archaic and generic name for all types of alcohol distillates, originated in the Middle Ages when it was used as a treatment for the bubonic plague. Nowadays, alcohol is synthesised in various forms and used in the food industry, medicine, and various fields of research. The circuit made within the sculpture continually processes diluted alcohol through active charcoal. In Spiritus Agens, diluted alcohol runs through Object A, which contains charcoal particles, and then drops into the container that preserves the Object B, which is immersed in the processed alcoholic “quintessence”. Using Morse code, Object B emits "a signal of life", in the form of the statement “I am still alive”, borrowed from famous conceptual artist On Kawara, who used this maxim as part of his art practice. Within each installation of the Sphere 1, there are two conceptual objects, the objects a and B, where a always represents the unattainable, the fleeting other, while B is the representation of us inside the contemporary world of “ecotechnics”. These objects are inspired by the history of anthropomorphization and are, as Sherry Turkle would say, “objects- to-think-with”. Object a represents our striving towards the creation of a synthetic being, while Object B stands for the human being in transition – a robomorphic being, a cyborg-becoming-a-thing.
The future of wellbeing lies in the development of contemporary science and technology, as well as in our readiness to understand them and debate their many elements and implications. We often deal with the Pharmakon, fluctuating between poison and remedy, but also between the notions of clean and dirty, having in mind that the substances in our environment are the pointers of our homeostatic balances. The key questions regarding cleanliness and sterility are closely related to ecology and health and, as Mary Douglas states, they are transitory and culturally dependent questions.