Geometric structures and sound layers collapse and reorder in a continuous cycle without apparent directionality. This constant motion generates a rhythm without context, exposing the absence of linearity and the impossibility of progress.
In Stairs & Stocks, Andreas Rau combines algorithmically generated staircases with fictional stock market graphics, shifting code toward a reflection on repetition and volatility. The title links two forms of ascent —architectural and economic— to examine the equivalence between growth and decline, as well as the tendency of systems to reorganize after each rupture.
Each piece operates autonomously, yet when displayed together, the spatial and sonic dimensions of the series expand. What might first appear as visual and auditory chaos reveals a momentary structural coherence: a brief alignment of image and sound across the different screens, announcing the next collapse. This behavior defines a cyclical temporality in which forms grow, disintegrate, and reconfigure without ever reaching stability. In this process, code becomes active matter, an agent that produces rhythm, organization, and disruption.
Stairs & Stocks functions as a model for reflecting on the structures that regulate time, value, and form in contemporary digital culture, particularly within the web3 space, where some of the market’s inherent feedback loops become visible.
The series was presented by the artist in collaboration with Fakewhale as a release on objkt.com in September 2024. The three works shown here were recently acquired by SOLO Contemporary for its private collection.
Stairs & Stocks, 2024
Custom software, audiovisual
The series will be on view at SOLO CSV until November 22, 2025. Book your visit.
About Andreas Rau
Andreas Rau (b. 1990) is a generative artist exploring the interplay between humans and their physical and digital environments. He works with code and electronics to build bridges between the physical and the digital in a continuous dialog with the machine. His work includes interactive installations, audiovisual pieces and physical artifacts created fully from code.