SERIES: Portals
About the Work
Using found objects, computer-generated video, digital audio, and a 3D camera, Knock on Wood illuminates centuries-old dogma that are integral to the Russian identity — many of which were commonplace in the house of Noyce’s wife and artistic partner, Katya Usvitsky, who grew up in Soviet-era Belarus. The charged objects include a spilled salt shaker, a broken plate, a utility knife, a safety pin, and a loaf of Russian bread that has been torn apart. As the viewer places their hands under each object to activate it with their energy, the projected visual changes to reflect the positive or negative power of that object.
Knock on Wood reveals the universal appeal of superstitions — even in seemingly secular societies like communist-era Soviet Union, which aggressively curbed the practice of most religious activities. The installation conveys the persistence of folk beliefs that transcend religion and politics, attempting to control individual fate through the use of magic, intention, and free will.
About the Series
Portals is a series of new media works that weaves late medieval occult practices together with contemporary computational theory. The work reframes spiritualist philosophies within a digital framework, replacing traditional forms of mediumship with algorithmic processes. Through the use of randomness in code, the pieces generate images, forms, and ephemeral patterns that recall the aesthetics and sensibilities of occult ritual.
The project sits at the intersection of cybernetics, post-humanist theory, and medieval esotericism. Cybernetics, with its focus on feedback and control, offers a lens for understanding how code mediates the dialogue between viewer, machine, and image. Posthumanism shifts agency away from the individual, positioning image-making as a collaboration with intangible entities. The code operates as a spiritual medium—part conjurer, part collaborator—dissolving the boundaries between human, machine, and the spirit world.
The merging of technology and mysticism has many precedents. Esoteric futurists such as Erik Davis trace connections between electricity and alchemy, while Thomas Edison famously speculated about a “spirit phone,” a theoretical device designed to communicate with the dead.
Portals is an exploration of alternatives to capitalism and industrialization, rooted in pre-Christian mysticism. The works reflect a longing for reconnection with the planet—honoring ancient traditions while engaging technology as a tool for imagining more mystically-attuned futures.