RPN - an interactive installation

“RPN” - an interactive installation by Pawel Janicki - explores the artistic potential of the reverse Polish notation for creating generative and interactive musical and visual compositions with the elements of live coding and interaction through the users’ mobile devices. The installation uses a laser and classic projections combined with multichannel sound environment.

The reverse Polish notation (RPN) is a mathematical notation in which every operator follows all its operands and was developed chiefly by Jan Łukasiewicz, a Lviv-born Polish mathematician and member of what has come to be known as the Polish School of Mathematics, the work of which is internationally considered to have contributed substantially to the advancement of mathematics and information sciences.

Janicki not only uses the reverse Polish Notation as a mathematical and artistic technique, but toys with the colloquial meaning of “the reverse”, understood as a repositioning of the existing order and a capacity to disagree and, generally, to go against the tide.

“RPN” was presented during the "OS (SYSTEMS’ OBJECTS)" exhibition, a part of the 17th Media Art Biennale WRO 2017 DRAFT SYSTEMS at the National Museum ( May 17 – June 11, 2017, Wroclaw / Poland). “RPN v. 1.1” was presented during the BEYOND THE SEVEN exhibition, a part of the Warsaw Gallery Weekend and the Digital Cultures conference organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. The exhibition was organised by ECHO Investment and WRO Center for Media Art Foundation at The Dom Słowa Polskiego Printing House (September 20th – October 4th, 2017, Warsaw / Poland).

The installation was produced with the support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.