The Shape of Things to Come
2007
The Shape of Things to Come (the title of which was derived from H.G.Wells’ 1933 dystopian novel) was a series of nine unique plexiglass sculptures, each of which contained a digital audio file converted to an electrical signal that triggered a flickering pattern in a grid of LED lights.
Each audio file contained a public lecture which had subsequently been disseminated on the internet. Each lecture, the oldest of which dated from 2004, represented a distinct scientific and/or academic discussion of pressing concerns in their respective disciplines, in order to be better capable of adapting to what was being discussed as the ‘immanent’ future.
While the sculptures emitted no sound, the lectures were accessible through a list of weblinks provided inside the gallery.
2007
The Shape of Things to Come (the title of which was derived from H.G.Wells’ 1933 dystopian novel) was a series of nine unique plexiglass sculptures, each of which contained a digital audio file converted to an electrical signal that triggered a flickering pattern in a grid of LED lights.
Each audio file contained a public lecture which had subsequently been disseminated on the internet. Each lecture, the oldest of which dated from 2004, represented a distinct scientific and/or academic discussion of pressing concerns in their respective disciplines, in order to be better capable of adapting to what was being discussed as the ‘immanent’ future.
While the sculptures emitted no sound, the lectures were accessible through a list of weblinks provided inside the gallery.
The Shape of Things to Come
installation view
The Shape Of Things to Come #1
Ronald Wright, Anthropologist: A Short History of Progress,
Massey Lecture Series, 2004
listen
31”x14”x3”
The Shape Of Things to Come #2
Noam Chomsky, Linguist/Media Analyst: Immanent Crises: Paths Towards Solutions,
Binghamton University, 2006
listen
28”x31”x3”
HOLLY WARD