Touchless explores the possibility of new materials and the deepness of light interaction with inert matters and how to use these possibilities to transmit sensations. We are used to isolate life from the environment and ignore the intricate connections that chemical compounds and particles of energy like photons could have in our body or in the objects around us. 

Touchless is a speculative proposal of these effects and an attempt to showcase the ongoing research of a synthetic material of bacterial cellulose and nanoparticles of Titanium Dioxide. This project was born in isolation and in the lack of contact with others, therefore it builds up by the need to touch at the distance, with a speculation of altering our garments, culture second skins with augmented abilities, and change our clothes for a future where we can not touch each other but we crave for contact. The main question, product of the initiated research is: If light can alter inert matter, how could we use this effect to transform light into a somatic sensation that connects us in separation.

It is an installation with flasks culturing bacterial cellulose, with sensors that detect the light that the visitor projects into the bacterial like-skin, imitating the effect that light has in a modified bacterial cellulose with nanoparticles. The light through the bacterial cellulose is transformed into an electrical signal triggering vibrations in the platform, the vibration can be received by a second visitor. The distance between the participants  consider the new normative in during the COVID-19 pandemia and allow the persons to send a somatic sensation two each other. Their share a touch/tactile sensation at the distance. 

Engineer: Rostislav Shchtennikov
Technical Collaborators: Alexey Feskov,  and Anna Osipenkova
Scientific supervisor: Ekaterina Skorb

Laura Rodriguez

Mexican artist based in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with a background in biotechnology engineering , she graduated from the Master program of Art&Science of ITMO University. Her artworks lay inside the world of ScienceArt and posthuman philosophies. She has developed workshops of bioart, exhibited her last exhibition and curatorial work was in Pangardenia Festival as part of Ars Electronica 2020 in Saint Petersburg, currently working as manager and researcher of A&S Center of ITMO University and  co-curator for art festivals.