[paraidolia]
Brandon Dalmer

In 1939, Soviet scientist Semyon Kirlian discovered a method of capturing the electromagnetic aura of objects by applying high-voltage current to items placed on a photographic plate. Kirlian revealed the coronal discharge enveloping everyday objects, creating a type of “spirit photography.” This work uses a similar principle to generate a constantly shifting animation throughout this year’s SPAM New Media Festival. Believed by some to be haunted by two workers who died here, electromagnetic sensors detect any unusual phenomena produced by entities residing within Georgetown Steam Plant. These sensors generate a unique set of random numbers that ‘seed’ the spectral animation. My hope is that, throughout the festival, we might be able to visualize and understand some of the energies within the plant. 



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Brandon A. Dalmer (b.1984, Canada) received his BFA from the Alberta University of the Arts and his MFA from Concordia University. Their work explores the way images are generated and the tenuous understanding we have with expanding technologies. Through the use of fabrication, generative processes and robotic assistance his painting practice aims to contextualize and elucidate the often unseen processes underlying our everyday lives. This also acts as a method of archive. His practice is open-source allowing others to expand upon it, granting a form of technological undeath.

Dalmer has participated in a number of residencies and exhibitions across Canada and internationally. He currently lives and works in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal. 



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