Antoine Schmitt (FRA)
22 Cubes Ensemble
2001
autonomous, infinite, non-interactive installation
400 x 300 cm video projection, computer, behavioral algorithm, surround sound
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Artist and programmer Antoine Schmitt tackles fundamental problems such as free will, chance, destiny and existence by developing works and installations that feature abstract, artificial beings. Through their manifestation on the screen, the viewer is confronted with the core being of these entities, and it is this origin of the being that Schmitt carefully crafts, using algorithms drawn from various fields such as artificial life, artificial intelligence and video games.
22 Cubes Ensemble, dedicated to composer Steve Reich, seems to work in a similar manner as Vexation 1; the software does not allow for any interaction. Twenty-two cubes are displayed on a large projection screen, independently rotating on their respective axes. Each cube is moving autonomously, but at the same time is clearly influencing the cubes that surround it, creating a giant flow of movement that initially appears to be continuously growing in its intensity. Subtle changes in the cubes’ behavior seem impossible to apprehend, the details only noticeable if we direct our focus away from the individual energies and step back to absorb the collective work of the whole.
After a while, however, we become aware that all of these efforts seem undirected, leaving the cubes encapsulated in their own friction, unable to come to a mutual understanding, let alone a collective strategy.
Biography
The works of artist and programmer Antoine Schmitt (France, 1961) are situated somewhere between abstraction and dynamic simulation, using software programming to create installations, online exhibitions, performances and CD-ROMs. He is a founding member of Transitoire Observable, a group of artist-programmers based in Paris. His work has been awarded prizes at several international festivals including Transmediale (Berlin, GER, 2001), Life 5.0 (Madrid, ESP, 2002) and Machinista (RUS, 2003). His artworks have been featured in recent exhibitions such as Écoute… at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (FRA); a retrospective Sonar exhibition in Madrid (ESP), Ars Electronica in Linz (AUT) and the group exhibition Say Hello to Peace and Tranquility shown in both Amsterdam (NED) and Copenhagen (DEN). Many of his works are on display on his website www.gratin.org where there is also extensive information on the algorithmic basis of his work. Antoine Schmitt lives and works in Paris, France.