Composed of three interactive installations titled Pulse Index, Pulse Tank and Pulse Room, Artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse series is currently open at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden during the dates of Nov. 1 – April 28, 2019.
With various biometric data such as heart rates and fingerprints utilized to create interactive installations, Lozano-Hemmer has stated in a lecture that the initial inspiration for the use biometric data in art came after listening to the heartbeats of his pregnant wife’s twin fetuses.
“It really is all about this idea that the heartbeat is not just symbolic because it’s life and love and whatever, but because its out of control,” said Lozano-Hemmer. “Because it has this involuntary spasms that you stand in front of somebody you like and you cannot control the heartbeat, and that beautiful.”
The first installation part of the exhibit is Pulse Index. Inviting participants to record their fingerprints as well as their heartbeats with a 220x digital microscope and heart rate sensor, up to 10,000 fingerprints are then projected onto displays that pulsate along to the heartbeat.
“As more people try the piece one’s own recording travels upwards until it disappears altogether —a kind of memento mori using fingerprints, the most commonly used biometric image for identification,” said Lozano-Hemmer in a statement.
The next installation visitors can experience is Pulse Tank. By detecting a pulse from the participant’s hands placed on top of the sensors, ripples are then made on illuminated tanks of water to create a reflected pattern on the gallery walls.
The final installation is Pulse Room. With hundreds of clear incandescent light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, participants will be able to transmit their heartbeats to the bulbs by gripping a handle shaped sensor. By doing so, the participant’s heartbeat will be converted to light pulses and synced to the nearest bulb. As the participant lets go of the sensor, the pulse will advance to the next bulb.
“Lozano-Hemmer’s unique practice straddles the line between art, technology and design, and will activate the museum unlike ever before,” said Hirshhorn Director Melissa Chiu. “His hypnotic installations invite museum visitors to participate in a one-of-a-kind experience while addressing complex themes surrounding agency, mortality and ownership.”
