Field Atmosphonia
“Field Atmosphonia” is a sound and light environment featuring 3,000 audio channels playing on custom-made speakers with LED lights. The project is a soundscape that comes in waves of complex polyphonies that emerge from the array of field recordings. The piece is presented in a large room, with the recordings changing typology gradually along the field of speakers: samples include wind, water, fire, ice, over 200 types of insects, over 300 types of birds, bells, metronomes, bombs and so on.
This installation is part of the series of pieces investigating the perception of thousands of simultaneous sounds each playing in a different dedicated loudspeaker, —what Lozano-Hemmer calls “speaker as pixel”. A pixel is a point of light varying in intensity and spectral frequency: coordinated with its neighbours the perception of pixels gives rise to images. The question is if we have thousands of sound sources in an array, can we see the emergence of a new perceptible complexity beyond the expected cacophony? (short answer: yes)
This installation is part of the series of pieces investigating the perception of thousands of simultaneous sounds each playing in a different dedicated loudspeaker, —what Lozano-Hemmer calls “speaker as pixel”. A pixel is a point of light varying in intensity and spectral frequency: coordinated with its neighbours the perception of pixels gives rise to images. The question is if we have thousands of sound sources in an array, can we see the emergence of a new perceptible complexity beyond the expected cacophony? (short answer: yes)
General info
Spanish name:
Campo de Atmosfonía
French name:
Champ d’atmosphonie
Year of creation:
2020
Technique:
Custom-made speakers and electronics, LED lights, computer, 2,300 micro-sd cards
Power:
55kW @ 110-240V
Room conditions:
Requires controlled lighting conditions and isolation from other sound pieces.
Dimensions:
Variable
Weight:
A single speaker plus cable weighs 170g
Edition:
3 Editions, 1 AP
Collectors:
National Gallery of Canada
Exhibitions
- Obra Sonora, Artis - Naples, The Baker Museum, Naples, Florida, United States, 2024 - 2025.
- Atmospheric Memory, Manchester International Festival, Powerhouse Ultimo - Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Sydney, Australia, 2023.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Atmospheric Memory, Manchester International Festival, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 2021.
- Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: Cercanía, Arsenal Art Contemporain, Montréal, Québec, Canada, 2020.
Credits
- Programming: Kitae Kim
- Production Assistance: Carolina Murillo Murales, Matthew Palmer, Guillaume Tremblay
Bibliography
- Bayley, Cameron. "New show may make you feel like you’re being watched. That’s because you are." The Sydney Morning Herald , 8 Aug. 2023. Sydney, Australia, 2023. (english) (Newspapers)
- Freeland, Anna. "Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Atmospheric Memory headlines Science Week at the Powerhouse with epic interactive exhibit for existential reflection." ABC News, 19 Aug. 2023. 2023. (english) (Newspapers)
- Gibson, Prudence and Edward Scheer. "The interactive art of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer: psychic resonance, surveillance and a murmuration of lights." The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2023. Canada, 2023. (english) (Magazines)
- Gorman, Alyx. "‘There’s no such thing as a neutral algorithm’: the existential AI exhibition confronting Sydney." The Guardian, 13 Aug. 2023. 2023. (english) (Newspapers)