kotka gudmon: the popularity index 2017 / creator
Kampnagel, Hamburg
Oxidation (according to the Biology-Online Dictionary) is a ‚chemical reaction in which there is the loss of electrons‘. This results the effect when a fruit cut-in-half changes its colour and consistency on its surface. Therefore, it is mainly the question of the amount of oxygen, how fast the oxidation, so the change of the original colour of the fruit is proceeded. In case of the PSi#23 2017 (Performance Studies International Conference 2017), 16 bananas and 16 apples documented the lectures and performances, those presented in the frame of the conference. One banana and one apple had been opened exactly at the moment, when a lecture, panel or performance started and were photographed right at the end of it. Afterwards their colour has been measured with Photoshop, according to which the popularity of each of the 16 academic events visited by Kotka (lecture, panel or performance) could be ranked:
- more audience => less oxygen in the hall => slower oxidation => the fruits remain lighter
- less audience => more oxygen in the hall => faster oxidation => the fruits get darker
