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This piece is the fourth in a series integrating the splitting of saltwater molecules through the use of electrolysis. Low voltage electricity is run through a volume of saltwater, causing the molecules to split apart; Chloride and Hydrogen gasses rise from the solution. In this case, a duracell battery supplies 9 volts of electricity. I have implemented both the technical and formal aspects of this piece as part of my ongoing philosophical exploration of the human condition. The most recent development in this ongoing research is the conception of the individual human as both an insular phenomenon as well as an integrated element in the greater decentralized network of interconnected systems. The use of electrolysis serves my effort to explore these ideas, and to clarify the conceptual parameters. There are five ways that this specific piece, “Electro-chemical System”, serves to further these efforts. 1) The use of the battery as a power supply relates to the insular conception of the individual human: a unit containing a quantity of energy; the energy is contained yet the energy can also be transferred into the surrounding systems. Both the battery and the human maintain their vital energy for a limited period of time. In this case the duracell battery lends its energy to the process of electrolysis, causing the gasses to rise and ultimately disperse in the room, thereby connecting with the greater systemic continuum surrounding and integrating the individual human.

2) The latex and vinyl forms at the top of the piece repeat the shape of the form at the bottom holding the saltwater. The shape is repeated, but with the orientation inverted, and the materials and size altered. These formal decisions reinforce the effort to reconcile the seemingly conflicting conceptions I am exploring regarding the human phenomenon. 3) Splitting the saltwater molecules and the divided vinyl enclosure relates to the two parts of this conceptual framework. 4) As the vinyl enclosure at the top of the piece is not air tight, it serves to disperse as well as collect the gasses (the gasses first collected in relatively high concentration, and gradually disperse to a lower concentration in the space of the exhibition room). This dual function again relates to the two components of the conceptual framework. 5) The latex form is contained within the vinyl enclosure, forming stages of separation between the interior and exterior space of the piece. The inner space of the saltwater molecules and the space of the gallery surrounding the piece carry this idea one step further in both micro- and macro-levels. The wires and the gasses navigate the passages between the layers of the piece. This simultaneous separation and integration of interior and exterior again reinforce the conception of the individual human as both an insular phenomenon and an integrated element in the greater systemic continuum.