Amanda Steggell
Amanda Steggell graduated from the University College of Østfold, Norwegian Theatre Academy in spring 2007 with the project "Mind, the Gap - Synaesthesia and contemporary live art practice".
Mind, the Gap is a practice-based arts research project dedicated to developing Live artworks that are inspired by the notion of synaesthesia - the cross wiring of sensory perceptions. The manifestation of this research is an experimental instrument with synthetic synaesthetic abilities - The Emotion Organ.
About the Emotion Organ
The Emotion Organ (2007) is a synaesthetic simulacrum machine where players can explore the sensational interplay of feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling and motion. It is also a time machine - a re-engineered pump organ from 1895 that combines both old and emerging technology and builds upon a trajectory of several centuries-worth of ideas about synaesthetic phenomena.
Without electricity it can be played as a conventional musical instrument, but when plugged in the organ produces varying combinations and intensities of sound, light, colour, scent, vibration and movement. When played it stimulates a highly subjective, cause-and-effect sensory immersion. When experienced as a spectator, the subjective affect of the player is modulated through the hypnotic visual effects of a propeller-screen, processed organ sounds and emitted scents.
The Emotion Organ brings the emotional journey of the player into the material world in its own special way. Its effects and affects are emergent and moody, and can range from crashing a plane into the sunset, to strolling through a garden of vibrant flowers. In order to explore the Emotion Organ's potentials a player must experiment with the way in which the combined activity of the hands and feet on its 61 keys, 8 stops and 2 foot pumps can produce different results.
The final appraisal
To appraise the artistic research, the following appraisal committee was appointed:
- Professor Lei Cox, Bergen National Academy of the Arts (chair)
- Dr. Sher Doruff, Waag Society, Amsterdam
- Professor Erkki Huhtamo, Dept. of Design Media Art, the University of California, Los Angeles
Contact Amanda Stegell on e-mail: amanda@pobox.com
