The interactive work invites you to immerse yourself for a moment in a mirror image of glowing sparks. When visitors enter the installation space, streams of red golden particles appear on one wall of the room, maybe reminiscent of the flying sparks of a fire or the rain of sparks created when working metal.
The glowing particles, which emanate from the arms of an imaginary mirror image of the visitors, follow the movements of the people in front of the wall and light up brightly when they make sweeping movements. Their paths are also determined by the turbulence of a three-dimensional air simulation, which is influenced by movements within the room as well. Visitors are invited to direct or choreograph the flying sparks in a three-dimensional dialog with the work, forming spirals and other shapes.
The sound consists of a sea of thousands of vowels. The movement of the simulated air atmosphere modulates each of these sounds. Depending on the strength of the audience's movements, the granular waves begin to hum and vibrate with and against each other, creating a kind of overtone singing sound.
In front of the installation, it becomes less important how we look to others. More important is the interaction with the flowing fireworks of sparks and everything we feel in the process. Restrictions in our movements, which we may cling to or orientate ourselves by in everyday life, are lifted.
technique
All calculations in the work are based on the laws of physics, although these have been bent in some places. Gravity, for example, is suspended for the swarm of particles.
A new approach in this work was to calculate the sound almost completely on the graphics card. This was the only way to make the layers of thousands of voices possible.
stills