Alberta Pane Gallery is pleased to present the third solo exhibition by the Italian artist Michelangelo Penso. In the Paris
gallery, the interactive sculpture Human vibe accompanies a series of prints on aluminium, rubber and wood.
Michelangelo Penso’s aesthetics is inhabited by macro and micro-organisms. His work is strongly inspired by scientific iconography, mostly coming from mathematics, genetics, and astrophysics. His artworks, created from industrial materials such as polyester, rubber, resin or aluminium, evoke ADN chains as well as constellations and planetary systems.
Human vibe consists of a small meteorite-like mineral object equipped with a system of touch sensors, which send out sound frequencies (1_) according to captured vibrations. By interacting with Human vibe, we can “tune in” to a flow of information emitted by our body, which is normally undetectable for us. Interaction develops by touching both sides of the sculpture, which are coated with tin to enable capturing the electrical response from the skin (GSR). The enclosed technology (microcomputer, sensors, miniature audio systems) processes these signals continuously and makes the sculpture react with sound and vibrations.
Human vibe, located in the center of the exhibition space, is surrounded by a series of paintings (Frequencies) showing astro- seismograms coming from recordings of electromagnetic radiations emitted by three planetary systems (HD 10180, HIP 41378, TRAPPIST-1 ) (2_).
Stars, as human bodies, generate vibrations which can be recorded by specific sensors. These scientific discoveries provide today a better understanding of the functioning and composition of astronomical bodies.
The exhibition Frequencies attempts to translate the invisible complexity of physical and biological interactions into a perceptible form or language. The artist invites us to become aware of the vibrations sent out by microscopic, human, and astronomical bodies. He encourages us to consider the reactions
that these vibrations trigger in the elements that surround us on very different scales. As in a scientific laboratory, this exhibition allows to experience the imperceptible resonances that we produce. It also invites to look attentively at the shapes of the invisible frequencies of stars and planets.
Relations between humans and technological systems take an increasingly significant place in Michelangelo Penso’s latest research. In this context, he proposes us to experience frequencies, which link the infinitely big and the infinitely small: two systems that are invisible to the human eye.
1_ Frequency is the number of identical cycles of a phenomenon per unit of time. Electromagnetic radiation is a phenomenon that presents a wide range of frequencies, which includes, in order of increasing frequency, : infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays and finally gamma rays. The title of this exhibition refers to the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation frequencies that human senses cannot detect.
2_ HD 10180 is a Sun-like star located in the southern constellation of the male Hydra, or Sea Serpent.
HIP 41378, also known as BD + 10 1799 and K2-933, is a star in the constellation of Cancer with an apparent magnitude of 8.922 and therefore requires binoculars to be observed. It is distant ∼348 a.l. (∼107 pc) from the Earth and it is moving away from the solar system with a heliocentric radial speed of +50 km / s1. It is part of a planetary system which includes at least six exoplanets.
TRAPPIST-1, also named 2MASS J23062928-0502285, is an ultra-cold red dwarf, a little larger but much more massive than the planet Jupiter and much cooler than the Sun. It is located approximately 39 light years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. Its planetary system is made up of at least seven rocky planets, the most detected so far. These are planets of dimensions (size and mass) similar to or smaller than that of the Earth.