The EM Field as a Sensor System

The presence of the electromagnetic field is ubiquitous and pervasive, yet elusive and not fully explored in its artistic potential, eventually because of its invisible nature. Whereas some forms of 'wave' or 'radio' art have been emerging over the last century, a certain materialism of media art uses waves directly, not just as a carrier of information. This paper, imagining novel possibilities to integrate the electromagnetic field in the design of an interactive piece, reflects on the process of crafting a sensing system and proposes a methodological approach to engineering new media and contemporary art.