© Laurus Edelbacher
smart rainbow 7.0 (system)
Exhibition Details:
The installation "smart rainbow 7.0" links the error display/cursor of (older) macOS computers with both the meteorological/physical phenomenon of the rainbow and the topic of global warming to communicate the fragile, colorful/diverse nature/environment under the threat of climate change, by using the ephemeral/tender elements of the rainbow (encounter), (frozen, colored) water and (electric) light for „downloading“ the macOS „rotating rainbow error cursor“ via seven ice sculptures into the real, technically upgraded space of a white freezer box. The white freezer box (in contrary of the black box) acts as a "smart white transparent/open box" for its users, in which a web("weather")cam is constantly "uploading" its rotating content ("the rainbow error ice cursor") back into a digital appearance of a Macbook screen outside of the freezer box.
Each water drop of the rainbow is acting like an imprecise natural prism, fractionizing the for human's visible sunlight in its seven spectral colors. Hence, the rainbow communicates the principle of visual human perception, which is traditionally closely linked to the approach of the media arts practice.
Politically, the color sequences of the rainbow were used by alternative communities or socio-political left movements as a symbol for freedom, tolerance and peace (as well as raising awareness of nature/environment protection), criticizing the errors of the majoritarian right-wing, conservative establishment of the (post-) war generation. Nowadays, the rainbow spectrum is celebrating a strong (online very visible) comeback since the globally growing LGBTQIA+ communities are using the rainbow colors for their diversity (multiple gender acceptance) debates.
In the digital system the " rotating rainbow error cursor" is literally and ambiguously displaying some unknown error in the macOS operating system since Apple is known for its exploitative working conditions worldwide (as many other IT- companies as well) and the quite nontransparent and locked operating system of their hard- und software products.
"smart rainbow 7.0" attempts to artistically hack the structure of the black box of nowadays on- and offline algorithms/ behaviors, showing the errors of our days like the fragile ice model rotating forever (in the white freezer box) as our frozen/paralyzed circuit, rejecting the hard facts and irreversible consequences climate change causes and will cause if we don't change our system now.
Summarized, the rainbow spectrum, one of the most meteorologically poetic and physically fascinating phenomena, acts both digitally (Apple products, black box, working + consumption capitalism) and analogously (raising awareness for alternative lifestyle and gender diversity) as a symbol for errors in the system, communicating also that all colors/diversity in any regard (nature: fauna/flora, humans: appearance/opinions/bio) create the most beautiful/healthy system for the world.
Featuring:
born in Graz (1981), raised in Upper Austria and based, besides travelling, in Vienna (A), graduated from the Vienna Art School with a diploma in art, focusing on sculpture and spatial practice and completed a Master’s degree in Media Art (Digital Art) at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. She works across a wide range of topics, media and often in collaboration, with an artistic focus on the fluid (poetic and political) in-between space and the encounter of diverse (non-human) phenomena. Anna Watzinger has presented her work in numerous exhibition spaces and places in Vienna and as well as internationally, including artist-in-residency programs abroad. She has been an active member of various art collectives and is currently a board member of Mz*Baltazar’s Laboratory. In this role, she regularly organizes and curates exhibitions and workshops and teaches at the University of Applied Arts Vienna with a focus on data protection and AI.
Laurus Edelbacher, born in 1990 in Melk, Lower Austria, completed the School of Sculpture in Hallstatt and studied at the Vienna Art School with Michael Kargl and Christoph Nebel in the Interdisciplinary Media Class and at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in the Digital Art class under Ruth Schnell. Laurus Edelbacher lives and works in Vienna and www. He is a board member of the Fabrikraum art association. His works have been navigating both nationally and internationally through browser windows, exhibition spaces, and artistic research.
