Photography: Leo Veger

Another work that is really worth mentioning is Merrick. Merrick is a mutated Ikea lamp created by Daan van den Berg. In this work, the artist uses the feature of IKEA's website that allows users to design their own lamp that is then created as physical object by a 3D printer. To produce Merrick, Daan van den Berg infected the IKEA design files with a virus that mutates the original lamp templates. After being printed by the 3D printer, the infected template becomes a physical lamp containing cracks and lumps that were caused by the
virus infection.

By infecting the Ikea CAD files and then using the 3D printer, Daan's virus is manifested in the physical world. This is a clear example of how computer code can extend into reality. The disease-like formations on the lamps show how code takes physical form.

 http://www.platform21.nl/page/3915/en

Ei Wada is a Japanese artist/musician. This year at Ars he gave probably one of the best performances at the festival. Wada's band is composed of him and a set of old Braun tube televisions, of the type that nowadays you see dumped in the trash.

Using these tube televisions and a hacked videocassette deck Wada translates visual patterns into sound. He plays sets of VHS tapes which produce the visual patterns and uses his hands to trigger the sounds from the old TVs. It's a authentically home-made Theremin-tech-percussion system that is at the same time loud and mesmerizing. In his performance, the artist taps the televisions' screens, producing percussive sounds that are combined with his sampled image rhythms.

Wada's raw setup –wires, old TVs and videocassette decks add to the piece a strong DIY aesthetic. It doesn't look finished and doesn't feel polished. On the contrary it's clear that Wada has made the system himself
from toying with electronics.

http://crabfeet.blogspot.com/