Justin Urbach, Fractal Breeze WIP T1_001, 2023

2023

Medium

Silicon wafer with laser engraving

Edition

Edition of 3 plus 1 artist's proof

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-155983

"Fractal Breeze WIP" is a series of works made of round silicon wafers with various motifs laser-engraved into their reflective surface. Wafers are elements of the semiconductor industry that are produced from quartz sand and form the basis for chips in computers and smartphones. Urbach inscribes them with fragments of medical data from MRT scans and ATP measurements, which can be used to examine microbiological structures. In both the wafers as well as the human body, the artist sees the potential for energy storage and transmission. In a similar way to the wafers, human cells show the ability to store energy and information through ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule that is considered the main energy store of cells. The data shown on the wafers was collected in connection with Urbach's video work "Fractal Breeze", a science fiction narrative in which two protagonists combine physical and virtual realities. In this process, they generate various body data in ritual actions, which Urbach transfers to the wafers. "Fractal Breeze WIP" combines the artist's multidimensional exploration of digital technologies, complex biochemical processes and the storage of energy from fossil raw materials, which are essential for technological developments.