Rafael Lozano-Hemmer in Conversation
‘I love that in Babbage’s vision we co-exist with the voices from the past.’
In a conversation covering industrialisation, the climate crisis, collective memory and digital surveillance, hear how artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer found connection with Babbage’s radical ideas and how his own work intersects with the Powerhouse Collection – including Babbage’s visionary Difference Engine (1823) and the Cooke and Wheatstone telegraph (1837–1842).
Lozano-Hemmer's use of technology in his practice creates critical dialogues about the interconnectedness of art and science. Having received a degree in Chemistry and working as an artist for thirty years, Lozano-Hemmer will present his artistic approaches and experiments within the fields of robotics, AI, nanotechnology and fluid dynamics.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s breathtaking immersive art environment Atmospheric Memory is inspired by computing pioneer Charles Babbage's concept of air containing a 'vast library' of every word ever spoken. This exhilarating show uses cutting-edge technologies and theatrical effects to create atmospheres filled with voices and history.
Speakers
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a media artist working with ideas from architecture and performance. He was the first artist to officially represent Mexico at the Venice Biennale with a monographic exhibition in 2007. He has also shown at Biennials such as Havana, Istanbul, Kochi, Liverpool, Mercosul, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. Lozano-Hemmer was the subject of 75 solo exhibitions worldwide, including recently a major show at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, the inaugural show at the Amorepacific Museum in Seoul, and a mid-career retrospective co-produced by the MAC in Montréal and SFMOMA. In 2019, his interactive installation Border Tuner connected people across the US-Mexico border using bridges of light controlled by the voices of participants.
Matthew Connell is the Director of Curatorial, Collections and Programs and has been a curator at the Powerhouse since 1991, working in the fields of computing and mathematics, information technologies, physical science, and engineering.
