Thoughts of the machine
For this 60 minute piece, performed for the first and presumably only time on July 4th 1997, Resonator built a machine then became part of that machine.

Wewerka Pavillon, a 20m x 10m structure of glass and steel became the main hull and stage for the machine. RESONATOR was on the inside, the audience was out in the dark. The glass walls were pitch black and only moving lights, the music and computer animated images emanated from within.

It was only after a wait of some 15 minutes that from the inside layouts of cicuit boards were etched into the black on the inside of the glass.

Dr. Martin Henatsch of the Academy of Fine Arts in Münster wrote about the show:

“It was not the thoughts of the machine which made this an unforgettable night. Not the fast euphoria for technology by an unyielding media art put this performance into its place.

Wewerka Pavillon was not misunderstood as a futuristic “temple of media”. Instead it once more provided the human actors with a space for experiments. They used their high tech gear with determination but not without irony and self mocking.

In spite of their tangible enthusiasm, Kreysing, Niggemann and Vollenbroich always kept the machines under their control and used them towards their artistic goal and intention.

The fragile and archaic human drawing, the accordeon’s soothing folklore together with the intuitive and spontanous composition of sounds became the counterpart to computer, RoboScan and videoprojector. At the end of this metamorphosis it was not the machine which was at the center of attention, this tale was not dominated by the thoughts of the machine, but by projections of mankind itself.”

RESONATOR teamed up with Dirk Vollenbroich and his crew for Gedanken der Maschine. This show also marked the debut of Susanne Esders’ work for RESONATOR visuals.