instrument inventors initiative (iii) has commissioned a new work from Hugo Morales Murguia and Nemø ensemble, Automatic Means of Human Labour in which by means of different kinds of modified machines the musicians become a metaphor for the massive production of automatised processes. Repetitive tasks and seemingly futile actions generate intricate rhythms and mechanical patterns in which automatization and absurdity reflect upon the conditions of human labour and its inevitable obsolescence.
The music dives into the capacities of the human body as a means of controlling sound by reiterative mechanical movements and its constant interaction with motorised equipment. The two performers manipulate a collection of musically modified ordinary machines: from power tools to sexual toys and electro-domestics, turning them progressively into prosthetic extensions of their own bodies.
Musicians become machine operators and machines become musical instruments in a work that develops at the intersection between sound composition and physical performance, where sonic complexity emerges out of the multiplication of simple machines that create new imaginary instruments, attempting to match the precision, speed, and physical resistance of a complex motorised automatic system.
Hugo Morales Murguia and Nemø ensemble have developed Automatic Means of Human Labour at iii workspace in The Hague throughout 2022, with the financial support from Creative Industries Fund NL, The Performing Arts Fund NL, and the Creative Europe program of the European Union.
instrument inventors initiative (iii) is an artist-run, community platform supporting new interdisciplinary practices linking performance, technology, and the human senses. Arising from the ArtScience tradition of The Hague, iii strives to balance technological innovation, theoretical reflection, and human experience. iii contributes to international developments in the field of art, science and technology, functioning both as a cultural incubator supporting research and creation, and as an agency connecting creators to a broad audience via a wide (inter)national partner network.
