Separator

‘Separator’ is a 42-minute collaborative audio-visual piece by sound composer Prism House and visual artist Matt O'Hare. The piece was originally debuted in 2019 as a multichannel sound piece and single source projection that debuted at SXSW. 'Separator' was later shown as part of the Contemporary and Digital Art Fair (CADAF) at Art Basel in Miami, FL, and the Satellite Art Fair in Brooklyn, NY among other screenings. Utilizing chopped and manipulated audio, computer graphics, and video, ‘Separator’ is broken down into fifteen continuous movements of audio-visual interplay. The artists' intention is to realize a fragmented environment that moves between moments of extreme dissonance and harmony. The audio content of 'Separator' relies heavily on Internet-ripped material, field recordings, and re-sampled synthesizer tones. The visual content of 'Separator' is best understood as a series of algorithmically-generated living collages that utilize a variety of found materials including architectural simulations, video game screen-captures, animations of surgical procedures, and hundreds of elements taken from Internet advertisements. The result is a digital hallucination that rapidly oscillates between the beautiful and alienating.

Credits: Quadraphonic music composition by Brian Wenner. Visual art by Matt O'Hare.

Utilizing chopped and manipulated audio, computer graphics, and video, ‘Separator’ is a 42-minute piece broken down into fifteen continuous movements of audio-visual interplay. The artists' intention is to realize a fragmented environment that moves between moments of extreme dissonance and harmony. ‘Separator’ heavily utilizes Internet-ripped video and audio content and is inspired by cyber-punk aesthetics.

‘Separator’ is intended to be experienced as a quad multi-channel sound piece with single source projection, but can be adapted to work for a variety of performance or gallery settings.

Screenings and Performances

November 18th, 2021 - School of Visual Culture, Arts, and Media (VCAM) at Haverford College (Ardmore, PA) - Single source projection and multi-channel sound screening

March 22nd - May 10th, 2021 - Slow Burn NYC Group Exhibition entitled “Anywhere But Here.” at The Canvas Gallery (New York, NY) - Looping single source video and stereo audio gallery exhibit

December 5 - 8, 2019 - Contemporary & Digital Art Fair at Art Basel (Miami, FL) - Looping single source video and stereo audio gallery exhibit

November 8th, 2019 - Neurosummit 7 (Arcosanti, AZ) - Single source video with stereo audio screening

October 3 - 6, 2019 - Satellite Art Fair (Brooklyn, NY) - Looping single source video and stereo audio gallery exhibit

March 16, 2019 - Performance is Alive at SXSW (Austin, TX) - Multi-channel audio and single source projection performance

‘Separator’ Screenshots