Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt

Semiconductor, August 2015

On Friday, August 7th, Grizzly Grizzly invites you into the substratosphere for a one-night screening of two Semiconductor works by Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt. Semiconductor works with scientists to access raw scientific data of outer space originally collected for research. Their handling of the visual data transcends the original purpose of the imagery, giving viewers a unique experience of the natural physical world. Single-channel shorts "20Hz" and "Black Rain" will loop throughout the night.

"20Hz" (2011, 6 min) observes a geo-magnetic storm occurring in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Working with data collected from the CARISMA radio array, Semiconductor animates sculptural forms generated directly by the sound. As different frequencies interact both visually and aurally, complex patterns emerge to create interference phenomena that probe the limits of our perception.

"Black Rain" (2009, 3 min) uses satellite image data to observe the space between the Sun and the Earth. Working with STEREO scientists, Semiconductor collected all the HI (Heliospheric Imager) data to date, revealing the journey of twin satellites from their initial orientation, to their current tracing of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The variety of images shows information crucial to the STEREO mission: solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CME's), but also additional and perhaps unwanted elements that are interesting nonetheless: passing planets, comets orbiting the sun, and the Milky Way.

Artist Bios

Semiconductor is UK artist duo Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt. In their work they explore the material nature of our world and how we experience it through the lens of science and technology, questioning how that lens mediates our experiences. Their unique approach has won them many awards and prestigious fellowships including Samsung Art + Prize 2012 for new media, Smithsonian Artists Research Fellowship, and a NASA Space Sciences Fellowship. Exhibitions and screenings include Let There Be Light, House of Electronic Arts, Basel (solo show); Worlds in the Making, FACT, Liverpool (solo show); Da Vinci: Shaping the Future, ArtScience Museum, Singapore; Field Conditions, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Earth; Art of a Changing World, Royal Academy of Arts, London; International Film Festival Rotterdam; New York Film Festival; Sundance Film Festival and European Media Art Festival. Their first public sculpture Cosmos was unveiled in October 2014 commissioned by Jerwood Open