Pattern of Activation (Deers Kissing, Vision Mode)

UV resistant print on aluminum dibond, powder coated aluminum frame, UV ink, epoxy clay, nail polish, aluminum frames, bolts and screws, plexiglass mirror panels 310 x 400 x 200cm Unique

Pattern of Activation (C. elegans)

Katja Novitskova’s key themes delve into internet art practices, new technologies and ecologies of the Anthropocene era. By dealing with the complexity and the potential defectiveness within the representation of the world through technological narratives, she draws attention to the mediation tools. Novitskova creates alternative geographies of biological organisms that emerge from data sets using various devices of vision like microscopes, cameras and visual algorithms. Images researched online are often transformed into sculpture by digitally printing the material onto aluminium display stands. The site-specific installation “'Pattern of Activation (C. elegans)” is based on the work series “Approximation” (2012 – ongoing) and 'Pattern of Activation (embryogenesis)” (2017). It examines one of the most commonly used model organism species, the C. Elegans round worm, through its mediated and mutated representations in bio-medical experimental research. C. Elegans is the first animal to have its genome fully sequenced and the first animal to get an AI digital simulation of itself. It is used by Novitskova to question the exploitation of animals for biomedical purposes, as well as the future of genetic modification. Scaled up to the size of giant snake-like forms, these worm shapes wriggle weightlessly into the air with cables are slipping out of their eggs creating immersive, post human landscapes that have overcome the biotic apocalypse. As if bio-technological mutants and artificial intelligence have replaced all wild life. This eerie landscape reflects the potential ecological effects of increasing human tinkering with life forms on the level of genomes and body structures, which can be seen as a new form of colonial expansion.

Pattern of Activation (Mutants)

A group of large sculptures depict various stages of embryonic development of C. elegans worm. It is a model organism commonly used in bio-medical research due to their kinship to human and the "simplicity"of their body structures. They are the first species whose genome was fully sequenced and whose neutral network was fully mapped. Their bodies are often modified so that they light up with fluorescent colours in order to make the test results easier to observe. Their image could be a monument to the contemporary "colonial"expansion that is not geographical (as applied to people and territories) but rather biological: genomes, molecular structures, neuron firings, embryogenesis, and other inner workings of human and nonhuman life. The frontier logic comes with the requirement for extensive mapping, and that means a colossal amount of pattern processing, a lot of it in the form of images of living things.

Pattern of Activation (Drunk with Power)

UV resistant digital print on aluminum dibond, acrylic stands, UV resistant ink on PU resin, rotating lamps, pvc cable covers, ceiling motors, metal thread dimensions variable unique

Pattern of Activation (embryogenesis)

digital print on aluminum, cutout display, acrylic glass worm approx: 247 x134 cm eggs: 70 x 48 cm (each)

Pattern of Activation (eyes of the world)

Digital print on aluminium, cutout display, 2 speakers, baby swing elements, robotic bugs, MP3 player, cable hose, epoxy resin, sound, nail polish, digital print, polyurethane resin, rotating ceiling hook, lace, 7 broken silicon wafers, epoxy clay, nail polish, acrylic case, wooden shelf, video projection. Dimensions variable

Pattern of Activation (biotic crisis)

Digital print on aluminium, cut out display, aluminium, spray paint, 2 digital prints, polyurethane resin, rotating ceiling hook, lace, video projection Dimensions variable

Pattern of Activation (Mamaroo nursery, dawn chorus)

This large installation features a group of six robotic-looking sculptures, a video projection and a sound installation. The sculptures gently move and buzz in front of what appears to be a simple PowerPoint slideshow, their bodies all connected to the power source through what look like long intestinal cords. They are, in fact, repurposed Mamaroo electronic baby swings from the popular brand 4Moms. Despite the fact that they hold things like ruptured birth sacks, the babies they were supposed to be carrying are nowhere to be found. Any elements that might signal their original function are missing: they are decorated in synthetic and organic materials like transparent polyurethane shapes with images of CTI brain scans and protein models, robotic crabs, silicon fish baits, tree fungi, etc. Some of their laser eyes are directed at the projection, whilw others look out into the exhinition space.

Pattern of Activation (Loki's Castle)

mixed media dimension variable unique

Pattern of Activation (jumping spider, termite cathedral mounds, growth potential)

UV resistant digital print on aluminum, cutout display; polyurethane, steel 450 x 300 x 240cm

Pattern of Activation (rhinos)

Pattern of Activation (elephants)

Pattern of Activation (emu)

Pattern of Activation (callithrix monkey)

Pattern of Activation (sea lion)

Pattern of Activation

UV resistant digital print on aluminum cutout display, polyurethane steel, aluminum, stainless steel Dimensions variable

Pattern of Activation (on Mars)

photo backdrop, stones, polyurethane rubber, aluminium stand, UV resistant digital print on aluminum, cutout display live-broadcast into the exhibition space 300 x 600 x 600 cm | 118 x 236 x 236 in unique