Polytik
Polytik explores the boundaries between artwork and printed circuit board, the material nature of ‘things’ to make electronic sound, and ‘composing inside electronics’ and 'composing through code'. Polytik was a collaboration with graphic designer Jack Featherstone and the production company Artists & Engineers and distributed through bleep.com. Polytik also contained a 'chip album' with composition (pre-programmed patterns/CVs) and edited discussions (comments) on code and materiality with Mark Fell and computational visual artist Frieder Nake. The discussions are published as text files embedded in the code.
These files take the form of separate header files. The computer code requires these files to execute. The significance of this alternative form of text publication is to draw to the attention of the reader/user the connection between computer code and concepts relating to technological processes and what may be thought of as the materiality of code.
Polytik Performances, Residencies, Workshops
Sonar Hong Kong, 1 April 2017
Live audio-visual performance with Jack Featherstone and Polytik workshop at the inaugural Sonar Hong Kong.
roBOt08, Bologna, Italy, 6 - 10 October 2015
Polytik workshop/residency and audio-visual performance at Palazzo Re Enzo, Bologna. The audio-visual language of the performance borrowed from the graphic design elements and interactive voltage control information of the sound objects/synths (with Jack Featherstone and A&E).
Exhibitions
Polytik exhibited at Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers, Deign Museum, London, 31 July 2020 - 14 February 2021
Polytik exhibited at Electro, Paris Philharmonie, 9 April - 11 August 2019
Interviews and Features
John Richards and Jack Featherstone in discussion on the design of Polytik
Interview with Playtronica, Russia
Polytik features in:
Rosario, E. (2020). Circuit Board as Design. In Collins, N. Handmade Electronic Music. New York: Routledge.
Bjorn, K., Metlay, M., Nagle, P. and Jarre, J-M. (2017). Push Turn Move. [Place of publication not identified]: Bjooks Media.