Sensing Presence


In the exhibition “Sensing Presence”, the Danish installation artist and interaction designer, Mads Hobye, has united glass and interactive technology.

Several of the works have a futuristic or science-fiction-like feel to them, as if they belong to an almost dystopian world, where humans and living organisms have been replaced by machines. In the work "Breathers" we meet three glass domes placed at different heights around the gallery space. The domes are transparent, and each has a silver bag made out of emergency blankets on the inside. These are continuously filled with air and then deflated. They breathe, just like us.

"Being Human Being" is a wall projection of a face made in a wireframe. As the image is filtered through a piece of glass, the lines are blurry and diffused. The figure moves, and it watches you as you are watching it.

In this exhibition, Mads Hobye explores the phenomenon of sensing a subtle presence in inanimate objects. The boundaries between life and non-living objects are blurred through our ability to have imagination and empathy for non-living things that move, breathe and react.

What is the border between being alive and being an inanimate object? Where do we draw the line, and how does our imagination play into this? When does our empathy start to kick in?

“Sensing Presence”, asks us to open our senses and sense with it as it senses you, and the pieces perceive each other. It is a call for our ability to imagine living in the artificial. Further, it invites us to reflect on the advancement of technology and how we, as humans, are on the brink of shaping it towards more life-like forms.


Solo exhibition at S12 Gallery, Bergen by Mads Hobye, but with tremendous help from the S12 team, especially: Galla Theodosis, Æsa Björk, Bergljot Jonsdottir , Anett Haukås and Tim Belliveau.


Pieces


Cyclus (2022):

Fused glass, led projector, servo, Arduino controller


Breathe (2022):

Hand-blown glass, safety blanket, pc-fan, Arduino controller


Containment (2022):

Hand-blown glass, led light, 3d printed material, plastic leaves, Arduino controller. 


Watcher (2022):

Hand-blown glass, led light, 3d printed material, Speaker, Arduino controller.


Traces (2022):

Fused Glass, led light, 3d printed material, metal rods, Arduino Controller.


Harvesting (2022):

Hand blown glass, led light, 3d printed material, Arduino Controller.


Being Human Being (2022):

Projection through a broken glass piece + Projection on broken glass pieces.