The earth is my motherboard
His improvised performances typically involve transmitting or receiving hidden information and energy though use of DIY circuits and chemical reactions intermingling on tabletops. A pile of earth and fungal matter, acids, electrodes electro chemical reactions serve a starting point for computer interfacing coding and generative noise. Martin Howse is not only an artist; workshops are a key element of his practice. He makes philosophical explorations, electro-alchemical hybrids and “speculative hardware” assemblages of equipment and DIY devices for performance.
The Crystal World Open Laboratory, CTM12, Berlin involved rendering computers into their composite elemental materials, extracting precious metals and re-crystallizing through mechanical and chemical processes. Recently Howse has made a selection of biosensors and geosensors to use in the field to record data in an attempt to find a relationship between the earth, code and humans. Looking like someone who has recently escaped from hospital with the aid of a Zimmer frame, wearing an array of sensitive equipment and sensors. Other experiments in geo-computing or Earth Code include ‘Earth Boot Experiment’ in which “The laptop, or PC, literally boots up directly from the specially designed earthboot USB device pushed into the earth, running code which is totally dependent on small fluctuations in electric current within the local terrain”