Do you know “Cod.Act“, a unit consisting of siblings who have backgrounds as a musician and architect? The brother unit, André and Michel Décosterd was awarded Excellence Award of The 18th Japan Media Arts Festival, by their work “Nyloid“. Please enjoy to read and know their background.

Please introduce yourself.

Under the label Cod.Act, André and Michel Décosterd combine our know-how. The first is a musician, composer and sound plastician, the second is an architect and plastician. Together they develop artistic productions such as performances and interactive installations.

As you have been gotten this award twice before. How did you feel this time?

We are very proud and honored that the Japanese estimate our work because we are fascinated by their creativity and their artistic language. There is reciprocity.

Could you tell us about “Nyloïd”?

Nyloïd is an impressive sound sculpture, a huge tripod consisting of 3 nylon limbs of 6 meters in length animated by a sophisticated mechanical and sound devices. Sensual, animal and threatening, this mobile draws its dramatic power from the reactivity of its plastic and sound material to diverse mechanical constraints. Similar to a living object, its tension, effort and suffering, which result from its contortions and its vocal manifestation, can be sensed.　

Why and when did you decide to work together?

We always had a lot of complicity in our creative activities. In both the music and the construction. We have the same feeling, the same tastes and the same approach in our respective disciplines. Cod.Act exists since 17 years.

Please describe about your concept or philosophy.

We produce complex devices, lean and functional, which evoque the industrial universe. The basis of our approach is a reflection on sound and movement and their possible interaction. We inspire a lot from sciences and our ideas often come from observation of natural physical phenomena. We try to understand the mechanism and try to extract elements, which be interesting to translate on human scale and pass it under the form of public events. Our installations always associate movement and sound. More and more, year after year, we try to improve their relationship, their harmony to obtain the best fusion of them.

Please tell us your important points in the process of making your work?

we put a lot of importance on the experimentation. We spend most of the time dedicated to research in our atelier, in contact with the matter. When we find a potential in a material, whether physical, mechanical or acoustic, we always try to acquire all the necessary knowledge that will allow us to exploit at best all the parameters of this material, and eventually, to distort it from its initial function or its original nature.

How do you get inspiration when you create?

We never have a brilliant idea, a strong concept. The ideas and the the inspiration comes from a permanent work in studio. From the step by step evolution of experiments. We are at the same time researcher, engineer and craftsman.

What do you do in your private time?

Ski in winter and mountaineering in Sommer

Do you have any plans or images for your next work?

Not really, many things are still possible but we work currently on a Larsen-turbine.

18th Japan Media Arts Festival
Exhibition of Award-winning Works
Date: February 4th – February 15th, 2015
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00 *Open until 20：00 on Fridays. Last entry 30 min prior to closing *Closed on February 10
Main Place: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Satellite Place: Cinem@rt Roppongi, SuperDeluxe
Address: 7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Holiday: February 10th, 2015
Admission: free
Organized by Japan Media Arts Festival Executive Committee
Tel: +81 (0)3 3535 3501
https://j-mediaarts.jp