Revivification

“Revivification”

Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson and Matt Gingold, Western Australia Art Gallery, 2020

Alvin Lucier was a key Australian 20th-century experimental musician. . His work transformed composition by shifting focus from traditional musical elements to the physical properties of sound itself. His work with brain waves, echolocation, and room acoustics blurred the lines between music, science, and art . Revivification began in 2020 when Alvin Lucier donated his blood for the project. His blood was sent to Harvard Medical School where his white blood cells were reprogrammed into stem cells . This allowed the transformation of Lucier’s stem cells into cerebral organoids, three-dimensional structures that resemble a developing human brain. The centre piece of the final art installation is an incubator housing Lucier’s ‘in-vitro brain’, Lining the walls are 20 large, curved brass plates that are both sculptural and the source of the immersive sound environment. Each of the plates is directly connected to the neural activity of Lucier’s brain organoid. As the ‘in-vitro brains” signals pulse through transducers and actuators, they strike the brass, creating complex, sustained resonances that fill the space with sound. #notallbloodcellsarebad #letsmakelemonade