Atelier Färbergasse, Vienna
26th March to 4th April
Opening ceremony 25th March, 19:00

One of Gordon Pask’s own installations Colloquy of Mobiles exhibited at Cybernetic Serindipity 1968, ICA, London

“Dancing robots, singing sculptures and growing metal tentacles are just some of the bizarre exhibits that will feature in an exhibition of work inspired by eccentric scientist Gordon Pask, one of the forefathers of cybernetics. Gordon Pask (1928-1996) was a British scientist and artist, whose work was key to the development of cybernetics — the study of systems of communication, control mechanisms and feedback. He worked in academia, the arts and industry, producing poetry, plays, interactive sculptures and teaching machines.”

Usman Haques Evolving Sonic Environments III will be one of the works presented

Focused on the influence of Gordon Pask today, the exhibition’s works range from the practical to the bizarre and include pieces by established artists, architects, designers, academics and students. Work has been inspired by many aspects of Gordon Pask’s work, including his interest in analogue computing and his experiments with electrochemistry.

Roman Kirschner’s Roots (2006)

Co-curator Richard Brown, research artist in residence at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, said: “In many ways Gordon Pask was too far ahead of his time — many of his ideas about cybernetics are only just coming into fashion now. Most computer scientists have a different way of thinking compared with him and don’t necessarily understand his ideas — they tend to see computers as machines which are told what to do, whereas Pask was much more interested in having a conversation with the computer.”

Richard Roberts ‘Hearing a Reality’ (2007)

The ‘Pask Present’ exhibition follows the ‘Maverick Machines’, held at the University of Edinburgh last year, the first exhibition of art work inspired by Gordon Pask. It will be held at Atelier Färbergasse, Färbergasse 6, A-1010 Vienna, from 26th March to 4th April, open daily from 13:00 to 21:00. (The opening ceremony will take place on 25th March, 19:00)

More details on the exhibition can be found at www.paskpresent.com