Peter Keene

Ouroboros

Peter Keene et Piet.sO 2005

An electrochemical and sound installation.
Metallic bed chassis with springs, laboratory glass ware and scaffolding, sausages, variable voltages and current sources, EEG amplifier, analogue synthesizer, loudspeakers, LCD screen, 3 black and white cameras.


Ouroboros is one of many ongoing alchemical experiments conducted by Piet.sO and Peter Keene since 2001. This installation explores the long slow process of putrefaction and fixation.
Primary couples are created by wiring together sausages from different french regions. Here Montbeliard and Toulouse are wired to an EEG monitor via silver electrodes.

Simple audio oscillators producing slow pitch drone as the process advances to short circuit and final fixation. The sausage couples are pertly immersed into a special electrolyte solution and a controlled current is passed through copper electrodes.

Over a month period, a copper sarcophagi is created. At this point, the experiment is concluded, a waiting a further stage of transformation.