In 1967, the 13th General Conference on Weights and Measures first defined the second, in terms of atomic time rather than the motion of the Earth.
Very little remains of the factory buildings that once stood on the site. Nothing is seen or heard, but standing on the site of the artwork, the visitors can feel a vibration in their bodies. The site is directly linked to the atomic clocks that govern Swedish national time, which is controlled from SP Technical Research Institute in Borås. Every second a signal from the atomic clock causes a powerful low-frequency pulse coming from under the ground.
At the site of the artwork, GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ made a durational performance for the opening of the exhibition. Back to back, they took turns lifting each other in the rhythm of the vibrations from the ground. This ”body clock” kept seesawing as long as their bodies could sustain it.
In collaboration with Time- och Frequency national laboratory, SP Technical Research Institute of Swedish.
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Borås Internationella Skulpturbiennal 2016
Low Frequency Sound - Play in headphones or speakers.
A portable version of In Absence of External Influences was presented as a wooden structure in relation to An intellectual history of the clock, a performative lecture, by Alexandra Laudo.
An intellectual history of the clock, Malongen, Stockholm 2016
Photo:Tomas Sinkevicious