Ad van Buuren has prooven himself to be one of the pioneers in experimental audivisual installations and performances. Together with Geert Mul and Felix Hess, he continues to define the interrelation between art and technology.
Analyzing machines such as tape recorders resulting in large scale sound installations and live performances can be seen in Van Buuren’s earlier work. His later work shows more focus in experimental research of the relationship between complex and deliberately uncontrollable networks of menchanical bits and bobs and sound effects. Audio compositions are based on coincidence by means of making use of analogue neural networks. Back to the Future, shows five of the most crucial sculptures which helped define media art and installations over twenty years ago.

Using seven small stringed Instruments played by dancing spiral springs makes up the installation Sprial Dane. Set in motion by short magnetic impulses, the spiral strings are involuntariously creating continuous changing rhythms.
Pianola 2, shows the sound beeing breated by an electrical piano, the keys of which have been replaces by 48 relay switches manipulated by three chaotic neural networks. A playful and unique sound composition of a virtual pianist taken over by the 21st century.
Inspired by the theory of the Butterfly Effect, the Butterfly Machine diverts the weather on eart by 35 individually controlled ventilators which in turn influence the local atmosphere, leading all the way back to the Chaos Theory. The entire weather system and it’s changes will be influenced by this in time. The machine is calling out to the weather God’s by means of rhythmical wind patterns, revived by a small artificial brain which is made up of feedback between electronic components and magnetic switches. The brain produces sound due to the ticking of switches along with the sound variations produced by the ventilators. With the use of indication lights the entire installation turns into visual delight.

Having studied at the Academy of Art & Design in Den Bosch, Ad van Buuren (1951) focused on creating unpredictable sound sequences in which coincidence plays an important role. By a set of fixed values the intractable chaos resulting from these experiments is kept in check.This coincidence can be seen back in analogue neural networks; switches using relays much like the brain. Tone Generators, Ventilators, the ticking and clicking of relay bells is all controlled by these circuits.
Eindhoven saw Ad van Buuren’s first installation Panoramafoon 2 exhibited at the Apollohuis in 1990, after which it was brought to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. By decelerating and rewinding sound, tape recorder techniques were visualized in a live performance for this Installation.

For more information visit www.medialabenschede.nl

or www.advanbuuren.nl

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