Ferrofluid, the matter at hand, is part liquid part magnet. It is prepared by grinding magnetite in oil. The magnet’s particles should be small enough to resemble liquid molecules. They should be small enough to “forget” their magnetic qualities and yet big enough to adopt magnetic behavior at the presence of a magnetic field. In the absence of a magnetic field it behaves like liquid. When placed in a magnetic field, the conflicting attractions of gravity, magnetism, and surface tension shape the ferrofluid in a way unseen elsewhere in nature.

According to phenomenological theories the magic experienced when seeing matter in motion stems from the human inclination to identify them-selves with archetypal matter: air, fire, water and earth. The human imagination tends to find echoes of his primal existence and of non-verbal signs in matter. On the verge of our conscious we find interest and pleasure in a rain drop, a candles flame etc. This is the reason for the hypnotic powers of Abyss.

Telecommunication had changed the status of matter. According to Paul Virilio the physical space, the geographical distance, the distance between object and subject, are all collapsing in the face of the big optics, where information can be transformed at the speed of light regardless of the locations of both sender and receiver. The innovation lies in Tele-presence where a user may influence distant physical realities in real-time.

What is a touch in an augmented world of vision? How does a mediated touch feel? These questions and others will be handled in e.mia.me’, a future interactive installation that will use the ferrofluid as a medium and that will enable users’ to remotely affect ferrofluid.

Credits: photography: Alon Eilat; Ferrofluid was kindly provided by Ferrotec (www.ferrotec.com)

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