Orbiting | Machine Realities

Swiss-German visual artist and composer Thom Kubli teamed up with MIT Media Lab to explore the artistic intersection between art and science in the form of a speculative future machine. Kubli, known for his kinetic installation pieces and transdisciplinary working methods, reflects on these processes with a poetic and abstract short film –staring the kinetic sculpture developed on site.

Shot at MIT Media Lab in Boston, the film is based on extensive research into making objects float within the context of an art installation. The work emanates Kubli´s interest in microgravity and physically challenging environments. Further, it engages with the concept of the “state of exception” as a transgressive mode in social and political dynamics.

Thom Kubli’s entanglement with film has intensified in the past years. He collaborated on the algorithmic horror film production UNINVITED (2020) and recently produced the soundtrack for the motion picture Echo (2021).