Systems crash could be seen as the motive force behind the visionary British duo Semiconductor (Ruth Jarman and Joseph Gerhardt), who have been creating, by hand and by machine, striking sound and image art since the mid-1990s. This crash concept must be thought of in the broadest terms, from the macro-image of architectural structures in disarray, to the appropriation of the minuscule digital glitch as a unit of creative expression. Central to their stunning aesthetic is the primacy of sound, which often directs, undulates, or explodes the image. Though they frequently exploit “broken data,” Semiconductor's works are richly composed, drawing on sensuous landscapes, mercurial geometries, and unimaginable cities. Over two evenings, we'll encounter much of Semiconductor's output, an “artificial expressionism” that invests zeroes and ones with the uncertainty of the human pulse.
Steve Seid