Whenever something new drops from Love Hultén, it’s bound to gain a lot of publicity. The Swedish mastermind behind hybrid works that fuse art, craftsmanship, and technology. His creations are what many call a juxtaposition of various mediums and typically result in whimsical yet cool stuff. The latest is the Tegel and it’s just as quirky as expected.
The early collections of items we shared on our pages were focused on video games — notably vintage game systems and software. Over time, he started to incorporate whatever was viral which led to some projects related to NFTs and the concept of phygital possessions.
After a short stint in the blockchain scene, Love Hultén came up with what many could consider a return to form. It’s not like he deviated from the signature formula in the first place. Anyway, the Tegel is odd and that’s a good thing because it piques our curiosity.
Reports tell us the inspiration behind this new piece is the brick sculptures of Per Kirkeby — a Danish painter and poet. However, it’s billed as a “sound sculpture” and uses a living bonsai tree as a resistor. It’s hooked up to the Tegel via probes which in turn are attached to a compact computer.
The setup detects minute changes in electric currents and turns them into sound. You can say it’s like a translator of sorts for plants, but there’s nothing in the press materials to suggest that. A Korg NTS-1 digital synthesizer converts those almost imperceptible signals into MIDI which is played back via a small integrated speaker. There’s also an analog VU meter and several buttons to toggle the Tegel.
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Images courtesy of Love Hultén
