Random International
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Rain Room, 2012. Water, injection moulded tiles, solenoid valves, pressure regulators, custom software, 3D tracking cameras, steel beams, water management system, grated floor from 100m2. Exhibited at The Curve, Barbican, London. Courtesy of The Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation for Art. Photography by RANDOM INTERNATIONAL
“From the first days of RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, we felt this very strong need to emphasize experimentation and self-directed processes in our creation processes, so we couldn’t really do anything but art."
Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass of RANDOM INTERNATIONAL. Photography by Mark Davis
Founded in 2005 by Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass, RANDOM INTERNATIONAL is a Berlin- and London-based collaborative studio for experimental practice within contemporary art. Questioning aspects of identity and autonomy in the post-digital age, the group’s work invites active participation through emotional and physical experiences that deconstruct notions of consciousness, perception, and instinct. As AI, biotech, and robotics become rapidly and deeply ingrained in the automation of daily life, their work aims to stimulate wider reflection on the responsive relationships with intangible technologies that underscore the world, while often leaving the question of who is in control open and ambiguous.
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL is best known for Rain Room (2012), an interactive artwork in which the audience remains completely dry while walking through a continuous downpour. The work premiered at the Barbican, London, with further installations around the world from the Museum of Modern Art, New York, to the Yuz Museum, Shanghai. Work by RANDOM INTERNATIONAL is featured in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Zoological, 2017. Foil, motors, helium, cameras, custom swarm algorithm. Dimensions variable; Each sphere 150 cm diam. Exhibited at Roundhouse, London, as part of Wayne McGregor’s +/- HUMAN. Photography by RANDOM INTERNATIONAL
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Swarm Study / IX, 2016. LEDs, plastic diffuser, custom software, computer. Installed outside the Hauptbahnhof Chemnitz, Germany. Building by Gruentuch Ernst Architects. Photography by Jan Bitter
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Our Future Selves, 2019. Brass, steel sheets, custom electronics, ToF sensors, LEDs. 90 x 549 x 300 cm. Exhibited as part of the solo show Physical Algorithm at Paradise City Art Space, Seoul, South Korea, 2019. Courtesy of Pace Gallery. Photography by Paradise City Art Space, courtesy of Park Myung Rae
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Kinds of Life, 2019. Winches, cables, swivel sheaves, custom control system and software. 1400 x 500 x 1100 cm. Commissioned for the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. Courtesy of Great Ormond Street Hospital London. Photography by RANDOM INTERNATIONAL
RANDOM INTERNATIONAL, Algorithmic Swarm Study / I, 2019. Multi-channel video installation. 700 x 400 cm each. Exhibited as part of Out of Control exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Art Busan, 2019. Photography by RANDOM INTERNATIONAL
