Music

Russian artist creates macabre vampire synthesizer

Russian artist creates macabre vampire synthesizer
Five blood batteries power a central synth in the Until I Die music/art installation
Five blood batteries power a central synth in the Until I Die music/art installation
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Each of the five battery units has 11 storage tanks, producing a total output of 3 V at 1,000 mAh
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Each of the five battery units has 11 storage tanks, producing a total output of 3 V at 1,000 mAh
The installation required Morozov to donate 4.5 liters of his own blood, which was then diluted to produce the 7 liters necessary for the project
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The installation required Morozov to donate 4.5 liters of his own blood, which was then diluted to produce the 7 liters necessary for the project
For his Until I Die project, Morozov wanted to use his "vitality to create electronic sounds"
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For his Until I Die project, Morozov wanted to use his "vitality to create electronic sounds"
The last 200 ml (0.4 pint) of blood was drawn directly from Morozov's arm during the presentation of the Until I Die project
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The last 200 ml (0.4 pint) of blood was drawn directly from Morozov's arm during the presentation of the Until I Die project
Morozov gradually drained the 4.5 liters (9.5 pints) of blood needed for the project over an 18 month period
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Morozov gradually drained the 4.5 liters (9.5 pints) of blood needed for the project over an 18 month period
Each of the five battery units has 11 storage tanks and manages to produce about 0.6 V of electricity
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Each of the five battery units has 11 storage tanks and manages to produce about 0.6 V of electricity
Five blood batteries power a central synth in the Until I Die music/art installation
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Five blood batteries power a central synth in the Until I Die music/art installation
The Until I Die installation ran for about 8 hours after its launch at a gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia
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The Until I Die installation ran for about 8 hours after its launch at a gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia
The centrally-positioned synth stack includes voltage converters, buffer capacitors, an Axoloti sound module, a small booster with speakers and a display that shows the voltage after the conversion
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The centrally-positioned synth stack includes voltage converters, buffer capacitors, an Axoloti sound module, a small booster with speakers and a display that shows the voltage after the conversion
View gallery - 9 images

According to his popular 80s ditty, throaty Canadian singer Bryan Adams played his first guitar until his fingers bled – a phrase often used to describe the hours and hours of continuous practice needed to master the instrument. For his latest art installation Moscow-based media artist Dmitry Morozov has taken a more literal approach to music creation, with a synthesized sound maker powered by his blood. Lots and lots of blood.

Regular readers may be familiar with Morozov's odd art/music creations, including the electropollock painting machine, the volnovod cable twister and the pyrite sun player. For his Until I Die project, he wanted to use his "vitality to create electronic sounds."

The installation required Morozov to donate 4.5 liters of his own blood, which was then diluted to produce the 7 liters necessary for the project
The installation required Morozov to donate 4.5 liters of his own blood, which was then diluted to produce the 7 liters necessary for the project

He gradually drained the 4.5 liters (9.5 pints) of blood needed for the project over an 18 month period, with Morozov saying that conservation techniques were employed to ensure that his donation retained its chemical composition and color, while keeping it free from contamination. The blood pool was then diluted with distilled water (and additives like sodium citrite, antibiotics and glucose) to produce the 7 liters needed for the installation. The very last 200 ml (0.4 pint) of blood was drawn directly from Morozov's arm during the project's presentation.

The artist says that the project reimagines the experiments of Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta to create a direct current battery, with metals such as copper acting as the anode and aluminum as the cathode, while the blood serves as an electrolyte. Each of the five battery units has 11 storage tanks and manages to produce about 0.6 V of electricity.

The centrally-positioned synth stack includes voltage converters, buffer capacitors, an Axoloti sound module, a small booster with speakers and a display that shows the voltage after the conversion
The centrally-positioned synth stack includes voltage converters, buffer capacitors, an Axoloti sound module, a small booster with speakers and a display that shows the voltage after the conversion

The installation ramps up a total output of 3 V at 1,000 mAh. The bloody batteries power a centrally-positioned algorithm-based synth module that composes the sound and outputs through a small speaker.

Materials used for the project include glass jars, acrylic frames, steel rods and custom electronics. Morozov reports that the Until I Die installation ran for about 8 hours after its launch at a gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

The video below shows the vampire synth in action.

Source: Dmitry Morozov

::vtol:: until I die

View gallery - 9 images
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