In a former Harlem factory, Infinite Energy Hack lets oil drums and solar panels speak

Infinite Energy Hack is an off-site collaboration between sculptor Eugene Jung and sound artist Ben Shirken. It runs at 461 W 126th St in New York from October 16 to November 15, 2026. Sangheeut and lower_cavity present the show, which takes the form of a company. The two artists founded Infinite Energy Solutions, or IES, a speculative EcoTech startup. It holds their questions about humans, technology and the environment.

IES has its temporary headquarters in a reclaimed industrial site in Harlem’s Factory District. Its mission statement says it wants to understand the true nature of energy. It also wants to put what it finds to work in real operations. Of course, the corporate voice is part of the work.

A Startup Built Around Hyperobjects

The project draws on the idea of hyperobjects from theorist Timothy Morton. These are things like global warming or the supply chain, so vast in space and time that no one can see them whole. Because we live inside them, the same systems that sustain them also limit how we understand them.

IES also takes its cue from philosopher Jane Bennett, who argues that action is rarely human alone. Instead, it comes from “agentic assemblages”. These mix human activity, non-human systems and environmental forces. In the same way, Infinite Energy Hack gives even non-living materials their own kind of agency.

Inside the Operations Hub

Visitors first meet a desktop computer showing the company website. This workstation is also the control centre for the experiments that run through the room. From there, the sounds spread across the floor. Liquid-powered windmills send out alert signals, while old gas tanks and oil drums trade encrypted messages. Meanwhile, solar panels turn light into electrical interference.

Together, these objects act as one collective body. They keep voicing their own work through sound. As a result, the room hums like a plant that runs whether or not anyone watches.

Between Ruin and Emergence

Jung builds speculative, post-apocalyptic landscapes that model global catastrophe. Her work shows how urban growth, capital and technology operate without visible traces. By contrast, Shirken combines sound, sculpture and spatial design. He looks at how tools of communication and production rewire our sense of the present. In Infinite Energy Hack, the two practices meet. The project asks what progress leaves behind and who is responsible. It also asks what new realities might form among the debris.

Born in 1995, Jung lives and works between New York and Seoul. In 2025 she joined the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and Dazed 100 Asia lists. Shirken, born in 1996, lives in New York. He founded 29 Speedway, a record label, performance series and studio for experimental electronic music. Finally, Sangheeut and the Korea Arts Management Service support Infinite Energy Hack.

Project Credits

Exhibition: Infinite Energy Hack
Artists: Eugene Jung / @newgenejung and Ben Shirken / @ex.wiish
Presented by: Sangheeut and lower_cavity
Support: Korea Arts Management Service
Location: 461 W 126th St, New York, United States
Dates: October 16 – November 15, 2026
Photography: Etienne Frossard