Ralf Baecker: A Natural History of Networks / SoftMachine

The computers are coming for us.

We all know this but we over-share with Siri and argue with Alexa anyway. Art, science and tech wizard Ralf Baecker explores all kinds of new media and technology in his work, asking questions about the virtual world and its entanglement with the physical.

In A Natural History of Networks / SoftMachine, Ralf animates a liquid metal alloy with electrodes, generating incredible shapes and sounds in real time. At its core, this custom-built electrochemical experimental apparatus (SoftMachine) creates a dynamic fluidic microcosm that performs a continuous becoming of form, structure, and material narrations, aiming to provoke new ideas about the machinic, the artificial, and matter. Takes breath…

Or, to put it another way, the performance is a bit like if your Science and Music teacher got together to make that liquid metal Terminator from T2: Judgement Day dance. Either way, you definitely won’t see this at your local cineplex!

Thanks to the Goethe-Institut London for their support in making this event happen.