Luftraum · Björn Schülke

bitforms gallery presents Luftraum, an exhibition of drawings and three interactive sculptural works by German artist Björn Schülke. The pieces utilize the gallery's airspace, floor, and walls, employing motion sensors to create an unpredictable behavioral exchange between audience and machine. Drawing attention to viewers' physical experiences, the automated systems possess irrational character traits and distinctive emotional features. Spider Drone #2 is an insect-like sculpture with attached camera arms that advance based on audience movement, featuring a sleek surface finish with exposed wires and a screen display that performs a parody of surveillance. Luftraum #1 is a solar-powered mobile using wing-paddle propulsion that creates a predatory atmosphere through slow rotation evoking the fluid language of drawing. Supersonic #5 is a floor-bound hybrid combining the shape of a zeppelin airship with the stance of a bull, featuring an embedded theremin and industrial cabling with a single wheel.

Works