Evelina Domnitch (BY), Dmitry Gelfand (RU)
http://portablepalace.com

Honorary Mention Hybrid Art
Documentation

“The Earth is the cradle of humanity; however, it is impossible to spend one’s entire life in a cradle.”

Constantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky

The reduction of gravitational effects may evoke emancipatory associations, yet such conditions predominate in our universe, and are in fact a significant obstacle for a variety of procedures conducted beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. In a spacecraft, the only way to transport and position nearly all uncontained gases, liquids, and powders, is a phenomenon known as acoustic levitation. Below on Earth, the selfsame phenomenon creates the impression of a localized absence of gravity, enabling the airborne levitation of fluids and solid matter.

For this rendition of “Sonolevitation,” slivers of gold are acoustically suspended and spun in different directions at varying speeds. The spin reveals the rotary consequences of acoustic vibrations as well as the dynamics of frictionless motion (untainted by gravitational forces).

A close-range microphone monitors the slivers’ modulation of the levitatory standing wave: the slightest disturbance or change in spin has highly audible repercussions. The slivers also interact with each other, modifying one another’s spin patterns.

“Space” exploration is not only imperative for scientific and survivalist reasons, but also for purely aesthetic ends. “Sonolevitation” is the first in a series of projects in preparation for microgravitational, near-vacuum environments. The capacity to create artworks in large-scale vacuums (much larger than the ones that could ever be produced on Earth) permits the actuation of altogether unforeseen optical and acoustic processes.