Arkansas Text Stream
Text Stream 9
“Arkansas Text Stream” (Text Stream 9) consists of brief texts sourced from Northwest Arkansas community members presented in a slow stream of letters that transform into phrases as the presence of people is detected.
Flowing from just beyond view, a rush of letters projects onto a 70-yard-length pathway, slowly travelling downstream. Moving according to fluid dynamics in a non-repeating pattern, the letters’ journey is programmed to be as unpredictable as the motion of water. As you walk, your body creates ripples and jetties among the texts. If you slow or stop, phrases will pool around your feet, revealing wisdom from the past, reflections on the present, and hopes for the future—all sourced from regional community members.
The Text Stream series is influenced by the work of French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé and “Antropofagia,” a conceptual current associated with the Brazilian Tropicália artistic movement of the 1960s.
Commissioned by Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Bentonville.
Flowing from just beyond view, a rush of letters projects onto a 70-yard-length pathway, slowly travelling downstream. Moving according to fluid dynamics in a non-repeating pattern, the letters’ journey is programmed to be as unpredictable as the motion of water. As you walk, your body creates ripples and jetties among the texts. If you slow or stop, phrases will pool around your feet, revealing wisdom from the past, reflections on the present, and hopes for the future—all sourced from regional community members.
The Text Stream series is influenced by the work of French Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé and “Antropofagia,” a conceptual current associated with the Brazilian Tropicália artistic movement of the 1960s.
Commissioned by Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Bentonville.
General info
Year of creation:
2022
Technique:
12 video projectors with short throw lenses, outdoor enclosures, 12 camera and IR lights, 1 media server, 1 tracking computer, signal/network distribution, Touch Designer software, 18 loudspeakers
Dimensions:
Variable
Keywords:
Exhibitions
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Listening Forest, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, North Forest Trail, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, 2023.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Listening Forest, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, North Forest Trail, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, 2023.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Listening Forest, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, North Forest Trail, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, 2022 - 2023.
Credits
- Developer: Hugo Daoust
- Production Assistance: Emily Green, Steven Hoffart, Benoit Soucy, William Sutton
Bibliography
- "'Listening Forest' Might Take the Prize for Most Immersive Exhibition of the Year." Hypebeast, 30 Aug. 2022. Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, 2022. (english) (Magazines)
- "Crystal Bridges’ new Listening Forest exhibition to use interactive art to create spaces of connection." Stuttgart Daily Reader, 22 Aug. 2022. Bentonville, Arkansas, United States. (english) (Newspapers)
Photo Library (click to expand)
