Electronic Art: Hylozoic Ground

"Hylozoic Ground" by Architect Phillip Beesley

This installation is covered in sensors, microprocessors, mechanical joints and filters. They allow the installation to mimic a living creature's response to its environment, drawing in and filtering moisture and organic particles from the air. The title refers to hylozoism, an ancient philosophical view that matter has life, and proposes a future city that would operate as a living being.  Personally, I just like it because it looks like the webbing holding the victims in Alien³.

"Philip Beesley: Hylozoic Ground" by VernissageTV

"The Canadian Pavilion at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy, presents Philip Beesley's Hylozoic Ground, an immersive, interactive environment made of lightweight digitally-fabricated component fitted with meshed microprocessors and sensors.

VernissageTV met with Philip Beesley on one of the preview days of the Biennale. In this interview, the artist and architect explains the word hylozoism and talks about the beginnings of his work on this topic, the concept of the exhibition at the Canadian Pavilion, the poetical and practical side of his work, and the next steps in the evolution of this system. The above video is an excerpt of the interview. The full-length version of the video that also contains an interview with Rob Gorbet is available at Vernissage.tv."