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MedBed
Medium: Custom Software and Hardware
Year: 2023
Role: Software Engineer & Technical Developer
Context: Artwork by Johannes Büttner, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
MedBed is an interactive sculpture inspired by the conspiracy myth of a medical device that can heal all illnesses and extend life. The QAnon movement claims such devices are kept by elite deep state members. In Johannes Büttner's sculptural paraphrase, the bed becomes a dark, sardonic form—programmed to move in sync with scenes from the accompanying film, hinting at the deception of conspiracy propagandists.
Details
- Exhibited in "Amid the Alien Corn" at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin
- Curator: Sofie Krogh Christensen
- Technical implementation:
- Custom software for synchronized video playback and multichannel audio
- Arduino microcontroller integration controlling RGB LEDs
- 2 high voltage DC motors and 1 high precision stepper motor
- Motors programmed to tilt the bed, open doors, and perform scanning motions
- Collaborators:
- CAD and 3D printing: Benjamin Zuber
- Sound design: Johannes Klingebiel
- Upholstery: Grete Gehrke
- Catalog text: Laura Helena Wurth
- Photography: Frank Sperling
MedBed installation at KW Institute for Contemporary Art.