Transversal Is a Loop is a fifty-minute long sound composition by Saša Spačal (whose previous work has already been released by Kamizdat under the name agapea), in which she, together and in dialogue with the crickets Acheta domesticus, delves into how to think music, sound manipulation and composition. The process of making this recording rests on Saša’s years-long research into biological systems through art and science methodologies and physical manifestations in the form of objects and spatial interventions. Her work is thus inextricably linked to critical reflection on the human relation to and impact on biological ecosystems on a planetary, microscopic and energetic level. The entanglement of humans and crickets in this sound work aims to underline the trajectory of a journey, which–after going through several cycles, inter-species feedback loops and considerations of how to survive as a species–ends up, through commodification, at the starting point.
Saša Spačal is an artist working at the intersection of living systems research, contemporary and sound art. Her work focuses primarily on the posthuman condition, where human beings exist and act as one of many elements in the ecosystem and not as sovereigns. Therefore abandoning the Cartesian system of classification and accepting the fact that the field of technology has expanded not only from hardware to software but also to wetware resulting in hybrid phenomena inscribed in mechanical, digital and organic logic within biopolitics and necropolitics.
Her work was exhibited and performed at venues and festivals such as Ars Electronica Festival (AT), Prix Cube Exhibition (FR), Transmediale Festival (DE), Athens Digital Arts Festival (GR), Perm Museum of Contemporary Art (RUS), Onassis Cultural Center Athens (GR), Chronos Art Center (CHN), Eyebeam (USA), Cynetart Festival (DE), National Art Museum of China (CHN), Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (SI), Kapelica Gallery (SI), Device_art (CRO), Art Laboratory Berlin (DE), Kiblix Festival (SI), Gallery of Contemporary Art Celje (SI), Museum of Contemporary Art Vojvodina (SRB), Lisboa Soa Festival (PT), Sonica Festival (SI). She was awarded the Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention and nominated for Prix Cube.
Tracklist
Availability
Free streaming, downloads (name your price) and limited edition USB booklets are available through our Bandcamp shop kamizdat.bandcamp.com.
Some rights reserved under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International licence – creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Credits
crickets Acheta domesticus · sound
Saša Spačal · sound, liner notes
Jedrt Maležič Lapuh · proofreading
Tina Ivezić · graphic design
Maruša Hren · usb booklet design and manufacture
Luka Prinčič · usb booklet design, editorial, production
Stella Ivšek · Kamizdat Rentgen visuals, streaming, design and promotion
Special thanks: Michal Kindernay (Agosto Foundation), Irena Pivka, Brane Zorman (CONA – Institute for Contemporary Arts Processing)
Cycles composition was commissioned for radioCona:0.2425 FM Exhibition in 2016. Transversal is a Loop project was developed as part of Agosto Foundation residency in 2018.
Radio Študent Ljubljana & ODZVEN/Sigic · media support
City of Ljubljana & Ministry of Culture RS · financial support
