La Llamada (The Call)
Computer algorithm that obtains solar activity, internet connection, custom-made Arduino microcontroller, phone and table.
Description of work
The algorithm in the computer obtains the latest activity of the sun
from an online database which is updated every minute by a
geostationary satellite. In case that a solar explosion takes place,
the system will activate the phone and three rings will be heard.
The work was developed in 2011 when solar activity was gradually
augmenting. It was kept in operation in a domestic setting during 2012
where calls were received on a regular, sometimes daily,
basis.
Context
This work was in regular operation for
about a year. It was part of an ongoing exploration of finding ways to
tune into the invisible. After some time, I began to realize that
waiting for the telephone to ring was becoming secondary, whereas
seeing data arriving every minute was by itself magical. It was enough
for me to imagine that every small variation received by the computer
was in direct relation with the fluctuating activity of the sun. It
became like a living, breathing presence, that permeated all my
activities without interfering with them. Cooking, enjoying some
food, being with friends or simply doing nothing; every ordinary activity was
slightly transformed while still being the same.
Technical details
Shell, Python and Arduino scripts running on Ubuntu operating system.
Developed with the help of Iván López. Bogotá, Colombia,
2011.
