Markus Decker + Michael Schweiger @ ArsBioarctica Residency Kilpisjärvi
posted by lupo on 6 December 2013

Special problems of information-theory / special problems of information-society   The project does focus on questions on the one side related to the paradox to use logical machines (RNG - random-number-generators) to produce random(numbers) and on the other side on questions concerning acoustic perception and acoustic information distribution e.g useful for environmental sensory systems and dissemination of environmental information e.g air quality concerning fine-dust concentration. The biological station at Kilpisjärvi was considered to be an ideal place to work on the development of different methods and approaches for environmental sensing and finally our expectations had been not only outmatched by reality but even went towards not even expected directions, as the environment of the station and its environmental surrounding together with the social situation at the station was unexpectedly socially rich. The arctic location were considered as perfect as the isolated situation, clean, dry air, silence, emptiness and low level of radiation noise deriving from emissions of electronic devices should offer good conditions for the development of prototypes for our sensory measurement interest. So the development of VLF recording facilities, antennas and recorders, the development of dust-sensing units connected to microcontrolers for realtime sonifcation of the data stream and the development of radiation driven random generators were started in the lab which  we had been offered for our experimental work and were continued in the locations environment including the areas of the Mount Saana where we were looking for nice noiseless places for VLF recordings. But it turned out that the unexpected but much appreciated social situation with a lot of openness and interest in exchange, communication and interest in each others motivation for coming there and interest in one's plans and works at the station created a great social environment yet vibrant and at the same time so relaxing and still pushing but overall decelerated, as missing daily stressors, distractions and fuzz where not anymore pacing. This unexpected situation was ideal for some oscillation between intense concentrated sessions of work in the lab which always had its own oscillation between digging the one project and talk, exchange and phases of working on one special issue of the special part-project, and phases of communication and socializing which happened at breakfast, lunch and of course at and after the sauna. So warmth, both material and social turned out as a sought counter or completing aspect in contrast to the cold and more and more freezing physical environment around the station. In our first reflections after the arrival we considered us as really lucky to participate in this social environment as it exceeded highly our expectations, which had been limited more or less to exchange on professional issues. Moreover the developing discussions on each of one's projects, plans, expectations, meaning and connection to one's live as a whole, turned out to be so stimulating, that it started during the making a parallel process of revision of concept architecture and decisive changes yet changing the architecture of the projects in development. The richness, we considered, is related to the many different fields where all of us are into, on one table there were political sciences, architecture, Sami knowledge, film makers and script writing experience, cultural work and arts experience, geo-physics and atmospherical studies... and many more, as all of us ourselves have diversive experiences and intersts, what is not the special circumstance at all, moreover the place, its pace and the whole environment with a diversity of aspects is considered as a main factor fostering this great social experience. Post in progress!