See you tomorrow at Marius’ opening!

MAPPINGS
Marius Watz at [DAM]Berlin, Tucholskystr. 37

Exhibition: 22 Nov 2008 – 17 Jan 2009
Opening: 21 Nov, 19:00 – 21:00

Marius Watz uses simple geometric forms and rule-based compositions to visualize the evolution of complex ideas. For his first solo exhibition at [DAM]Berlin, Watz has created software that interprets data sources, manipulating stock market data and patterns from electronic music to evoke narratives of abstract form.

The “Stockspace” series are derived from a computer program Watz wrote to represent stock market data as virtual landscapes. The software combines the elements of price and time to yield digital vistas that are no more tangible than a share of stock itself. These datascapes are joined by a series of “sound mappings” based on an ongoing collaboration with musician Alexander Rishaug. Here sound is transformed into visual structure, a representation of the time domain as well as the organic qualities of the music.

“Grid Distortion” shows the effects of a simulated magnetic field on a malleable grid pattern. Here Watz used a laser cutter to delineate the dynamic quality of lines responding to the forces of attraction. This strategy of transformation is mirrored in the generative animation “Electroplastique #1”, an explosive hommage to Op Artist Victor Vasarely. Displayed as a wall projection, the shapes slowly mutate from a rigid framework into organic structures.

A veteran of media art, Watz has been exploring the use of software as an aesthetic medium since the early 1990s, and is renowned for his vivid colors and hard-edged abstractions. He has exhibited extensively and is the founder of Generator.x, an important platform for generative art and computational design. Watz is a lecturer at the Oslo School of Architecture and the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. He is currently based in Oslo and New York City.

http://dam-berlin.de/
http://unlekker.net/
http://generatorx.no/