This sound performance was presented in conjunction with Galactic Scale Inquiries into the Nature of the Cosmos, an exhibition of robotics, lasers, and sensor-based systems by artist Kal Spelletich, on view at Telematic in the winter of 2022-2023.

In this body of work, Spelletich responds as an artist to science’s extraordinary, transformative contributions to visual culture and knowledge. Reconstructing scientific tools and experiments with light, stones, sound, metal, video, and machines, his kinetic sculptures and installations explore the sublime dimensions and durations of astronomy, geology, and physics. He highlights their explosion of experience’s everyday parameters, evoking wonder in the face of nature and raising the question of our place in the universe. At a time when the authority of science has been crudely dismissed, and critical thinking has given way to groundless conspiracy theories, Spelletich explores fundamental scientific discoveries and the weight of their hold on the world. The project is rooted in the history of science, drawing inspiration from the ancient figures of Pythagoras and Gan De; the early modern Leonardo, Newton, and Galileo; and the underappreciated heroes of 20th-Century astronomy and astrophysics, Jocelyn Burnell and Vera Rubin, among others. At the same time, Spelletich’s work emphasizes the fact – revealed by the recent rise of misinformation — that the authority of science is not sustained by science itself, but rather depends upon a collective, social commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and the truth. His kinetic sculptures and installations are interactive. They respond to the physical presence of bodies in space, and they require the audience to engage them. In this way, the show is political, sparking minds and activating audiences by engaging them in a reflective practice that bridges art, science, and social consciousness – even philosophy – in the pursuit of a shared understanding.

Galactic Scale Inquiries into the Nature of the Cosmos was on view from November 4th to January 28th, 2022.

About the Performers

Kal Spelletich is a pioneer of San Francisco's machine art scene, who hand-builds complex machines and robots. Current work, in 2018, includes building functional artificial robotic organs as a residence of the Stochastic Labs in Berkeley California. Through a collaboration with audience members who volunteer to control or operate his sculptures, Spelletich's work explores the interface of robots and humans. Early work frequently incorporated fire and "extremely dangerous" situations, to examine the boundaries of fear, control and exhilaration. By the late 1990s Spelletich started incorporating sensors in his sculptures to engage with questions about technology, spirituality, and play. Spelletich’s work has been included in exhibitions at the De Young Museum, SFMoMa, The Exploratorium Museum and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA; California Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA; Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA; and Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin, CA. He also has exhibited and performed internationally in Namibia, Germany, Croatia and Austria. Spelletich lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Bryan Day is a sonic adventurer, painter and inventor of curious things based in the East Bay. Using scavenged electronics, repurposed mechanical components and amplified materials that you might find in your garage or your great uncle's office, he re-imagines them into constructivist sound sculptures. Day has performed, taught workshops, and built sound installations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He spends his days designing, building and fixing exhibits at the Exploratorium and the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco.