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Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse

Exhibition November 1, 2018 − April 28, 2019
Hirshhorn Museum presents an exhibition "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Pulse".

At this largest exhibition of interactive technologies, visitors will see three main installations from the Rafael Lozano-Hemmer series "Pulse": Pulse Index (2010), Pulse Tank (2008), Pulse Room (2006).

The Mexican-Canadian artist, famous for breaking the line between art, technology and design, has filled the entire second level of the museum with immersive environments that use heart rate sensors to create kinetic and audiovisual sensations from the visitors' own biometric data. Within six months, "Pulse" will revitalize the vital signs of hundreds of thousands of participants in an unusual project.

Each installation collects biometric signatures and visualizes them in the form of repeating sequences of flashing lights, panning sound scenes, pulsating waves and animated fingerprints. These intimate “portraits” or “snapshots” of electrical activity are then added to the live archive of previous recordings to create an environment of syncopated rhythms. At a time when biometrics is increasingly being used for identification and control, this data represents a new way of representing both anonymity and community.

Based on the materials of the official site Hirshhorn Museum.