Ethereum

SPIRITS (Pacific) #5

Collection

SPIRITS by john gerrard

Description

SPIRITS is a browser based public artwork by john gerrard which centers on four world oceans alongside 100 lost or discarded plastic sandals and shoes found by the artist on their shores. These were carefully photographed in-studio and used as inputs for neural networks to become dense gaussian splats. These image objects, placed into world engines allow users to transform through digital touch a morphing, dynamic, fluid layer that calls algorithmic light, petroleum iridescence, 1960s Californian psychedelia, oceans, wildfires and finally a charred void, whilst a generative score unfolds alongside. An online exhibition was developed with Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art + Tech Lab and premiered as a front page takeover of lacma.org over 24 hours on Winter Solstice, December 21st 2025. Subsequent takeovers happen during the Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox 2026. The work is exhibited on lacma.org across 2026. SPIRITS is divided into four classes of 25: SPIRITS (Pacific) #0 - #24, SPIRITS (Indian) #25 - #49, SPIRITS (Mediterranean) #50 - #74 and SPIRITS (Atlantic) #75 - #99, each with their own shifting petro-aesthetics and generative scores. SPIRITS moves john gerrard’s works in offline executable files on the physical landscape into the network as a form of global public art. SPIRITS holds within it three configurations: an auto loading mobile version and an auto loading desktop version. Augmenting the works URL with ?archive=true loads a large scale institutional version which is designed for large screens and / or environments of very high fidelity. Following the LACMA presentation the work moves to sim.stream/spirits alongside private and public presentations. Credits (Pacific) Producer + R&D: Werner Poetzelberger, Programmer: Helmut Bressler, Generative Sound Producer: Jonas Hammerer, World Engine: Babylon.js, Sound Engine: Tone.js, Smart Contract: 0xfff Interaction Move : Press and drag Transform : Press upon the object Clear Transformation : Sun icon to bottom right Toggle Audio : Speaker icon to bottom left Toggle Fullscreen : Press upper right screen corner Toggle Automatic Rotation : Press upper left screen corner Keyboard Hot Keys A - Toggle Audio S - Clear transformation R - Automatic Rotate off / on F - Fullscreen on/off (ignored on iOS) O - Zoom in P - Zoom out M - Hide / Show icons (in window mode)