Presented as part of the 2014 AxS Festival in Pasadena, Sphæræ is an inflatable pavilion — a component of an ongoing strand of research by architect Eek into the pneumatology and tactility of inflatables and lightweight spaces. Developed in partnership with Synergetica Lab in Amsterdam and the Artscience Interfaculty program in The Hague, Sphæræ consists of five semi-transparent bubbles of different sizes, which together form a multi-dome construction designed for immersive, synaesthetic experience.
Eek was inspired to create Sphæræ by an evening of audiovisual works in a planetarium, including 10,000 Peacock Feathers in Foaming Acid, an audiovisual performance work by Netherlands-based artists Evelina Domnitch and Dmitry Gelfand.
Unlike ordinary light, the laser’s focused beam is capable of generating a large-scale projection of molecular interactions as well as mind-boggling phenomena of non-linear optics. Sphæræ’s inflatable structure was designed to both serve as a platform for this uniquely spectacular work, as well as create a venue for other artists, scientists, and performers to make 180° works and compositions which explore the phenomena of light, sound and movement within the domes.
AxS Festival 2014 presented Domnitch + Gelfand in a live performance of 10,000 Peacock Feathers in Foaming Acid — the work that inspired the creation of the SPHAERAE platform.
Sphæræ featured projects including work, as a far-ranging program of sound works, video screenings, and talks by artists including Big City Forum with Soo Kim and Connie Samaras, Jeff Cain with Ezekiel Honig, Mattia Casalegno, Chris Duncan, Mike Harding/Touch, Intimatchine, France Jobin + Fabio Perletta with xx+xy visuals, Theun Karelse, Lucky Dragons, Yann Novak, David O’Brien, Christopher O’Leary with Isaac Schankler, Steve Roden, Julie Tolentino, and Virons.
Sphæræ also hosted a program curated by Domnitch + Gelfand, including Solunaris, a new collaborative work by William Basinski & Richard Chartier and Synergetic Screening, a series of multi-sensory performances and installations in the context of synthetic biology including work by Paul Prudence, Francisco Lopez, Bas van Koolwijk, Jet Smits, Martijn van Boven, and Eric Parren.
