Miha Godec: H20ffgrid: Pluvio Collector

This Thursday, 12 December 2024, at 18:00, Xcenter organises opening of the rainwater filtration workshop by Miha Godec entitled H20ffgrid: Pluvio Collector.

Xcenter invites all visitors to pour water into the reservoir—instead of the rainwater that would otherwise have been collected on the xMobil rooftop—and wait for it to be purified. During the filtration process, the flowing water creates an algorithmically generated soundscape. The exhibition will be opened until 31 January 2025.

The device is not only an ecologically and technologically advanced solution for purifying rainwater or other natural water sources but also a symbolic system and an aesthetic object. In addition to purifying rainwater and water from streams, rivers, or lakes, H20ffgrid: Pluvio Collector invites visitors to a pagan-futuristic ritual that evokes hope for broader and sustainable access to potable water. In many cultures, water has long been associated with purification—both physical and spiritual.

The device is part of a series of works by Miha Godec, which explores purification and water-filtering processes as well as coincidences in the organic and physical world. In his works, the flow of purified water serves as a data source for generating sound, revealing subtle signals from nature and their connection to the physical laws of the world.

The sound created with water purification process aims to contribute to the "cleansing" of the visitor's sensorium while opening a space for reflection on the paradoxes of modern water supply. These paradoxes arise from both technological and ecological principles of what was once a natural process but has now become increasingly mediated by technology. Perhaps only an artistic research approach is capable of reconciling these paradoxes, combining art, science, and technology into an equal dialogue.

This system employs a two-phase filtration process: a ceramic filter ensures mechanical filtration, while UV light provides biological filtration. The installation uses the Pure Data (PD) software environment to create a generative soundscape, that is based on the random dripping of water onto sensors, which act as organic algorithmic triggers for sound sequences.

Special thanks to the design collective Pjorkkala (Žan Girandon, Pia Groleger, Luka Pleskovič) for developing and designing the ceramic component of the filter specifically for this project.

Curator: Peter Purg, xMobil (2022–25) Production: xCenter, Mojca Stubelj Ars (2024) Co-production: Artevida Institute Ceramic water filter artists: Pjorkkala Technical support and production: Dmitry Morozov, Roman B.