Krafttremor
LuYang
陆扬
Production date
2010
Object Detail
Media
video (colour, sound)
Measurements
4 min 32 sec
Notes
Krafttremor (2011) deals with Parkinson’s Disease, and the sometimes-contradictory relationship between its symptoms and controversial treatments. She researched deep brain stimulation therapy, which can minimise some of the most distressing symptoms of tremor, rigidity and impaired mobility through the surgical implantation of a battery-operated device that delivers electrical impulses to target areas of the brain associated with movement. Complex issues of autonomy and agency, the ethical minefield of the brain regulated by external agencies, and the deep fear of loss of self-control are brought into the realm of popular culture. In an examination of the expanding moral restraints of contemporary science and biotechnologies, samples of the frequencies of Parkinsonian tremors are synthesised to create a syncopated dance rhythm. Elderly patients in striped pyjamas, trembling too much to bring their hands together or touch their own noses, are creating a music video. Blank faced, their shaking hands hold tambourines or fluorescent maraccas, and their tremors are converted into electronic rhythms in a deliberate homage to German electronic band Kraftwerk, and their 1978 release, We Are the Robots.
Accession number
2011.056