Marcello Mercado

Variations Van Gogh, Installation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcello Mercado

Variations Van Gogh
Installation
7-channel video installation, drawings, books, photography,sound sculpture, DNA – objects
6 m x 2,50 m  236.2 in x 98.4 in
2012 – 2015
Kunsthalle Osnabrück

 

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Grant for Media Art 2013 of the Foundation of Lower Saxony
at the Edith-Russ-Haus for Media Art,
Oldenburg, Germany

ARCHIVE – INSTALLATION

Variations Van Gogh (2014) is a project that unfolds across objects, books, and a seven-channel video and sound installation, presented on seven LCD flat panels mounted on shelves. Alternatively, the work may be projected asynchronously onto seven walls in a dark, carpeted room, running continuously in an eight-minute loop, accompanied by amplified stereo sound.

Kunsthalle Osnabrück 2015

 

PERFORMANCE

A. Concept

This project engages critically with the material and symbolic transduction of archival practices in contemporary media art. It draws upon Vilém Flusser’s reflection comparing the «mass» to a giant worm: information passes through its body, consumed and expelled, recycled endlessly without memory or recognition—a cycle of ingestion and excretion of undigested matter. Through this allegory, Variations Van Gogh proposes a medial-organic circulation of visual, chromatic, and genetic data, where residues and nutrients become interchangeable within the techno-organic archive.

Keywords:
Database, transduction, transformation, media enzyme, digital-organic, organic-digital, image as enzyme, recontextualization, invention, performance, human-human interaction, human-machine interaction, exploration, monitoring, projection, sound, acoustics, data processing, media preservation.

B. General description

Variations Van Gogh investigates speculative strategies for archiving and preserving Vincent van Gogh’s seven sunflower paintings. Rather than pursuing documentary fidelity or museographic reproduction, the work activates a multiplicity of experimental technologies:

  • Data gathering with drones,

  • Topological mapping and orthophotography,

  • DNA extraction and DNA-based performance,

  • Google Earth as performative interface,

  • Code language as plastic writing,

  • Three-dimensional sound environments,

  • 3D printing as sculptural gesture,

  • Robot-generated musical notations on staff paper.

 

C. Archival variation: Hexadecimal Compost

In one of the project’s most emblematic iterations, Mercado digitally extracts all yellow tones from Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings using Photoshop’s color picker tool, encoding these as hexadecimal (RGB) values. Approximately 280 shades of yellow are printed on paper, shredded, and composted with Californian red worms. The resulting humus becomes the soil substrate for planting new sunflower seeds, closing a transductive and symbiotic cycle: color as data, data as residue, residue as fertile ground for germination.

D. Installation scheme

The spatial configuration privileges asynchronicity and fragmentation. The seven out-of-sync screens or projections establish a dispersed architecture that emphasizes the discontinuous nature of the archive. Amplified stereo sound accompanies this perceptual drift, creating an immersive atmosphere in which painterly, organic, and digital resonances converge.

 

 

1. Description

 

In Variations Van Gogh, all yellow tonalities present in Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings are meticulously extracted using the digital pipette tool in Photoshop, each chromatic instance transcribed as hexadecimal RGB values—a translation of pigment into data. Approximately 280 distinct yellows, emblematic of Van Gogh’s iconic palette, are then printed on paper, fragmented through shredding, and subjected to a composting process mediated by Californian red worms.

This humus, a residue both organic and informational, becomes the substrate for planting new sunflower seeds, closing a speculative circuit in which color becomes data, data becomes material, and material returns to life.

By transducing pigment into code, code into waste, and waste into biological potential, this work interrogates archival logic, proposing a media-ecological metabolism where the history of painting is not simply preserved but decomposed and generatively recirculated.

fig.01. Hexadecimal Compost: The Pipette, the Palette, and the Decomposition of Colour

fig.02. Hexadecimal codification of chromatic data (RGB values)

fig.03. The approximately 280 extracted yellow tones were materialized as printed swatches on paper, subsequently shredded and subjected to a composting process

              mediated by worms.

fig.04. Hexadecimal compost

fig.05. Sunflower seeds, hexadecimal compost, and algorithmically reconstituted sunflowers

 

fig.06. Final installation: Object 1 — Copper box 01 containing DNA preserved in test tubes and enveloped sunflowers

 

fig.07. Final installation: Object 2 — Copper box 02 containing six packets of “Hexadecimal compost”

 

 

 

 

2.
Archive Variation: Extraction of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)

 

The DNA of the cultivated sunflowers was meticulously extracted through enzymatic protocols, each enzymatic sequence facilitating the dissolution of vegetal structures, allowing genetic material to be isolated and collected in test tubes—transforming the biological trace into an archival specimen at the intersection of organic life and media process.

fig.08. Extraction of sunflowers´DNA

 

 

 

3.
Archival Variation: Van Gogh Bio-curation (DNA Performance)

 

A clandestine performance—conceived as an interventionist curatorial gesture toward Van Gogh—was enacted during Documenta (13) in Kassel, 2012. In this action, DNA extracted from the Hexadecimal-reared sunflowers was discreetly dispersed across various surfaces, both inside and outside the Fridericianum Museum, inscribing a latent biological trace within the institutional and urban fabric.

 

Fig. 09. Biocuration: DNA Performance, Kassel, 2012 (Basement, first floor, second floor)

 

 

 

4.

Archival Variation: Satellite
The seven sunflower images were algorithmically transcribed into textual data and transmitted via satellite into outer space.

 

In this variation, the seven sunflower paintings were algorithmically transcribed into text and transmitted via satellite into outer space—a gesture that displaces Van Gogh’s iconic imagery from the pictorial to the orbital register, transforming archival preservation into a speculative cosmic transmission.

This act resonates with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, a project that sent a robotic spacecraft to the asteroid Bennu. In March 2016, NASA and WIRED launched an open call titled #WeTheExplorers, inviting individuals worldwide to submit drawings, images, and videos to be included in a data archive aboard the spacecraft, to accompany its journey to Bennu and back—a gesture of planetary inscription and return.

Archive Variation: Satellite reinterprets this historical moment of public participation in interplanetary data transfer, positioning Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings as part of a fictional archive destined for deep space. Here, the images are stripped of their visual form and reduced to pure textual information before being disseminated beyond Earth’s atmosphere, enacting a speculative archival protocol where the canonical history of painting intersects with media technologies of planetary scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.
Archive Variation: Searching the yellow colour: Data gathering with drones, topological-mappings and ortho-photography

 

 

This phase of the project was carried out in collaboration with Skyvision Unmanned Aviation (responsible for planning and logistics) and Azimuth Geodetic (data post-processing).

Site: Soest, The Netherlands
Coordinates: 52° 9’14.63″N, 5°17’47.07″E

  • Hardware: Two drones (one hexacopter and one octocopter)

  • Software: GPS navigation systems; GIS software; Azimuth proprietary processing software; Autodesk 3ds Max for 3D modeling and visualization.

 

This part of the project was realized in cooperation with Skyvision unmanned Aviation (planning and logistics), Azimuth Geodetic (data post-processing)

fig.10.Soest, The Netherlands: Work zone

 

 

The objective of this variation was the conservation and storage—for future generations of artists—of the Dutch yellow tonalities as they might have been perceived by Van Gogh himself.

Two drones conducted aerial surveys over an area of approximately 20 hectares near Soest, The Netherlands, collecting nearly one terabyte of ortho-photographic data to construct a comprehensive 3D mapping project.

This endeavor was not solely concerned with capturing yellow hues; it encompassed a broader attention to color saturation, luminosity values, vibrational qualities, and chromatic contrasts within the total environment—trees, soil, water, reflective surfaces—situating Van Gogh’s palette in an ecological and atmospheric context.

The drones were programmed to associate specific altitudes with precise hexadecimal values corresponding to Van Gogh’s sunflower palette, effectively scanning and filtering the yellow tones vertically:

Example correlation:

  • 10 cm → #8B8B00

  • 20 cm → #EEEE00

  • 30 cm → #FFD700

  • etc.

 

The fusion of ortho-photography and topographical mapping yielded a 3D archival model—a digital topography of yellow tonalities—serving as both an artistic artifact and a speculative repository.

The accompanying soundscape consisted of a synthetic voice systematically reciting the 280 hexadecimal codes derived from Van Gogh’s sunflowers, transforming numerical color data into an acoustic register.

Example: “Number sign eight B eight B zero zero” (where “number sign” denotes the symbol #, also known in German as Doppelkreuz or Raute).

The resulting digital model was preserved as a “Van Gogh Perceptive File”, an archival construct designed to be retrievable in scenarios of environmental degradation, climate change, planetary catastrophe, or profound alterations in the qualities of light itself—a poetic gesture toward future conditions of perception.

About orthophotography:
An orthophoto (orthophotograph or orthoimage) is an aerial photograph that has been geometrically corrected (“orthorectified”) to ensure uniform scale across the entire image. Unlike an uncorrected aerial photograph, an orthophoto can serve as an accurate cartographic reference, allowing for precise measurement of true distances as it compensates for topographic relief, lens distortion, and camera tilt. Orthophotographs are commonly integrated into Geographic Information Systems (GIS), where they enable operators to digitize linework, annotations, or geospatial symbols. Some software platforms can even automate this process, extracting structural and geographic features directly from orthophotographic data.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthophotography)

 

fig.11.Soest, The Netherlands: Work zone: Drones view

 

 

 

 

 

fig.15.Ortho-photographic 3D Model and mapping

 

 

 

 

 

 

fig.16.Ortho-photographic 3D Model and mapping

 

 

 

 

fig.17.Ortho-photographic 3D Model and mapping

 

 

 

 

6.
Archive Variation: Virtual tour of the cemetery of Auvers-sur-Oise, France (Google-Earth Interface-Performance)

 

This variation stages a virtual visit to Van Gogh’s grave, executed through the Google Earth interface as a performative exploration of digital cartography and its omissions.

In Google’s photographic logic, cemeteries are typically excluded from documentation, and here a virtual wall rendered the entire cemetery inaccessible. Van Gogh’s grave, situated directly adjacent to this barrier, became the focal point of an interface-performance whose objective was to symbolically “breach” this digital prohibition.

Throughout this traversal, algorithmic anomalies emerged: glitches in Google Street View, interruptions by automated notifications such as “The user (Van Gogh) has not updated his profile,” and the uncanny discovery that many landmarks across the town of Auvers-sur-Oise—a park, a public swimming pool, a bakery—were named after Van Gogh, collapsing historical memory into digital branding.

The soundtrack accompanying this performance was generated algorithmically, converting the chromatic data of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings into text and rendering it audible through a synthetic voice, transforming visual legacy into machinic utterance.

fig.18.Van Gogh’s grave. Auvers-sur-Oise, Francefig.19.Van Gogh’s grave. Auvers-sur-Oise, France

fig.20.Google street glitches

 

 

 

 

7.
Archive Variation: Conversion to Sound and 3D Print

 

A. In this variation, seven images of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers were processed using sonogram software and translated into seven distinct sound archives. This process transforms visual material into acoustic data, establishing a dialogue between image and sound, matter and information.

 

fig.21.Software: Virtual ANS: A Software simulator of Synthesizer ANS

 

 

fig.22.The sound archives. Schema

 

 

B.
The seven sound archives were combined and transformed into a single 3D object in real time, translating sonic information into spatial form.

 

C.
The resulting 3D object was materialized as a physical artifact, produced in plastic using 3D printing technology.

 

fig.25.3D-Sound-Object printed on plastic

 

 

 

D.
Sunflowers images were transformed into sound and subsequently reconstituted as new images, completing a cycle of translation between visual and acoustic forms.

 

fig.26.Sunflowers images were transformed into sound and subsequently reconstituted as new images, completing a cycle of translation between visual and acoustic forms.

 

 

 

 

fig.27.Final installation: Object 3, a copper box containing a 3D sound object accompanied by three sound-glitch photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Archive Variation: Notations

 

In this variation, musical notations were generated and inscribed by robots onto staff paper, collectively titled The Variations Van Gogh Opera. This project transforms algorithmic processes into graphic scores, where mechanical inscription becomes an integral part of the work.

The resulting publication, Van Gogh Variations: Compositions for Small Motors and Robots (2014), is an 82-page volume measuring 20.5 × 25.5 cm and weighing 500 grams—a score composed entirely through automated processes, extending the artwork into both performative and material dimensions.

“Van Gogh Variations: Compositions for small Motors and Robots”,
82 pages, 20,5 cm x 25,5 cm, 500g, 2014

fig.29. “Notations – Van Gogh Variations: Compositions for small Motors and Robots”,, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parts of The Variations Van Gogh Opera:

01.Das Gelb in der Ferne. Larghissimo
(01. The yellow in the distance)
02.Ich sehe Zeichnungen. Andante
(02. I see drawings)
03.Charles Bargue und Jean-Léon Gérôme Duett. Appassionato
(03. Charles Bargue and Jean-Léon Gérôme Duet)
04.Arie der Besucher. Agitato
(04. Aria of the visitor)
05.Vincent Monolog. Pesante
(05. Vincent monologue)
06.Abschied von Arles. Lacrimoso
(06.Farewell to Arles)
07.Todesmotiv. Lento
(07.Death motif)
08.Finalterzett. Trionfante
(08.Final trio)
09. Archive Variation: Language – Code

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Archive Variation: Language – Code

In this variation, the seven Sunflowers paintings were algorithmically transformed into text and then translated into an invented language of my own creation. This language was conceived as a way to erase alphabetic conventions, bypass operating systems, and engage with algorithmic residues that cannot be destroyed by physical means—residues that resist erasure even by hammers.

 

 

 

 

 

fig.29.“Seven sunflowers deleted”, 60 pages, 25,5 cm x 20,5 cm, 500g, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Archive Variation: Van Gogh’s Sunflowers – 115 Variations


This variation consists of a book containing 115 hand-painted variations—executed in acrylic, ink, and oil—based on the seven original Sunflowers paintings.
Archive Method: Scriptorium

 

fig.30.“Van Gogh´sunflowers: 115 Variations”, hand painted, 115 pages, 54 cm x 39 cm x 3 cm (1,08 m open), 900g, unique item, acrylic, oil, ink, pigment and paint on paper, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
fig.31.“Van Gogh´sunflowers: 115 Variations”, hand painted, 115 pages, 54 cm x 39 cm x 3 cm (1,08 m open), 900g, unique item, acrylic, oil, ink, pigment and paint on paper, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
fig.32.“Van Gogh´sunflowers: 115 Variations”, hand painted, 115 pages, 54 cm x 39 cm x 3 cm (1,08 m open), 900g, unique item, acrylic, oil, ink, pigment and paint on paper, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
fig.33.“Van Gogh´sunflowers: 115 Variations”, hand painted, 115 pages, 54 cm x 39 cm x 3 cm (1,08 m open), 900g, unique item, acrylic, oil, ink, pigment and paint on paper, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
fig.34.“Van Gogh´sunflowers: 115 Variations”, hand painted, 115 pages, 54 cm x 39 cm x 3 cm (1,08 m open), 900g, unique item, acrylic, oil, ink, pigment and paint on paper, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
11. Archive Variation: Drawings

In this variation, three sunflowers were drawn by six robots and small motors, enacting a semi-autonomous process of mechanical mark-making.
Archive Method: Semi-autonomous robots
fig.35.Sunflower 01
behind glass with 2 cm wide wooden frame, 75 cm x 65.5 cm x 4 cm, pencil on paper,
unique item, signed and dated on the front, 2014
fig.36.Sunflower 02
behind glass with 2 cm wide wooden frame, 75 cm x 65.5 cm x 4 cm, pencil on paper,
unique item, signed and dated on the front, 2014
fig.37.Sunflower 03
behind glass with 2 cm wide wooden frame, 75 cm x 65.5 cm x 4 cm, pencil on paper,
unique item, signed and dated on the front, 2014
fig.38. Final Installation: 3 Sunflowers: Drawings
12. Archive Variation: Diary

A book documenting the entire project process, serving as an archive of its development and variations.
fig.39.“Variations Van Gogh : Diary”, 34 pages, 12 cm x 16 cm x 0,8 cm (20 cm open), 150g, unique item, On the reverse signed and dated , 2014
13. Meeting Variation

In 1995 we were both programmed at the FIPA festival (Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels) in Nice, France, together with film director Theo van Gogh (born 1957 – died 2004), and we had a brief personal encounter. He presented his short film De Wanhoop van de Sirene and I participated with La región del tormento.
14. Facebook Likes Variation

This year, and in previous years, I have “liked” the paintings of Lieuwe van Gogh on Facebook. Lieuwe is the great-great-grandson
of Theo van Gogh, Vincent’s younger brother, who was a crucial supporter throughout the artist’s life.
15. PDF Variation

Creation of a PDF document compiling the curriculum vitae of Vincent van Gogh. Due to his very few exhibitions during his lifetime,
the file has minimal digital weight: only 61 KB.
16. Variation: Meeting the Sunflower

I visited the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and stood before Vincent van Gogh’s Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (1888), one of his iconic sunflower paintings on display there. In that moment, I referred to it as “My Van Gogh Formula,” marking it as the final Variation—at least for now—in this ongoing project, bringing the series to a personal and conceptual close.

17. Van Gogh Formula Variation

D. Installation Scheme

Variations Van Gogh (2014)
7-channel video/sound installation, color
Displayed on seven LCD flat panels mounted on a shelf, 8 minutes duration
or
Projected onto seven walls in a dark, carpeted room; projections are unsynchronized with amplified stereo sound.
Continuously running.

A. Installation scheme:

Version 01
7-channel video installation (screens or TV monitors):

  • 7 LED TV monitors, Full HD, 16:9, 46″

  • 7 headphones

  • 7 DVD players or equivalent playback devices

  • White walls

 

 

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