A fibre-optic sound installation
The installation “01001” is a visual representation of the invisible universe of information
circulating in our global telecommunication systems; airwaves, broadband, telephone
signals and digital radio/TV transmissions. Invisible waves of voices and noise are
constantly flowing through us without our being aware of anything other than the final
result – e.g. when the mobile phone rings or websites appear on the computer screen.
We have collected signals from this global network and transformed them into a sonic web
using fibre optics.
A new, nation-wide digital system for television transmission is currently being
rolled out for a large segment of the Norwegian population. The analogue system is
overloaded and will be shut down in a few years’ time. The change in technology is in
some ways comparable to the transition from LPs to CDs. One of the methods involved in
these new developments is fibre optics. Fibre optics is used in many different areas.
Optical signal transmission expends only a small amount of energy and can therefore be
used in the transmission of TV signals, for telecommunication and sizable digital signals.
Despite its relatively short history, fibre optics is now used globally as a medium for
transmitting electronic messages/signals.
From this global context, we are collecting and processing sound in order to illuminate the
fibres in our installation as an object – which is presented at a local level and also as a
site-specific work in a gallery or a public space. When sound frequencies activate the
fibres’ luminescent properties, the light and sound interact and meld together to form a
pulsating object. The invisible becomes visible. The work will also function as an artistic
expression independent of this background information.
The installation is site-specific and is constructed on location and adapted to the venue in
question. A version of the installation was on display at Kaunas Art Biennial, Textiles
2007, at the National Museum’s Zilinskas Gallery, from 30 November 2007 until 2 March
2008. The installation received honours from the international jury during the opening of
the biennial. In November – December 2008 we extended the installations length from 10
to 30 metres. This was exhibited at Bryne Railway Station during the Article Biennial in
November 20081 as one of the main art projects for Stavanger– European Capital of
Culture 2008 2 and at the outdoor exhibition “Interval” in Bergen December 20083
The installation’s sound is composed using multiple channels and filtered through a
specially designed interface that interprets the sound and translates it into light. This
transformer works with the light’s energy, the frequency spectrum, the sonic dynamics and
the phases in the sound design and holography, i.e. the space created by the sound’s
multiple channels. It utilises these parameters to create light in the processed fibres of the
installation, which comprise its visual representation. Telecommunication activities serve
as raw material for the sound composition, i.e. sounds recorded before and after passing
through a broadband network; the tapping from a pc keyboard, telephone signals, voices,
numbers, fragments of telephone conversations and interference / “ether noise”, referring
to the un-audible and invisible universe of signals soaring through the air at all times.
With light sources connected to both ends of the fibres, the sound is able to create many
different fields of light. The audio frequency range and variation in amplitude activates the
light in a subtle way and produces nuances in “colour” and intensity. Even during
moments of silence the fibres can be illuminated by transmitting a frequency below the
speaker range, making the sound “visible” without hearing it.
These variations in light are created by variations in the sound composition – subtle
changes in frequency and amplitude generate a pulsating response in the light. Different
types of sound material also generate a wide range of intensity. The composition process
has been enriched with new parameters as tools for an audiovisual expression, where
vision and hearing meld together in one indivisible object.
The installation is a spatial experience. The audience is invited to enter the fibres
and spend time inside the installation. When presented in a black box, the installation
offers an atmosphere of contemplation and curiosity. In a black-box setting we generally
control the different elements of the installation in order to reduce unforeseen influences
such as noise from outside and uncontrolled light sources. We determine the size of the
exhibition space and construct it ourselves in order to make the space as soundproof as
possible. Installing the artwork in public space is another intriguing challenge. At Bryne
Railway Station –and during Interval under the Bergen City hall, the installation is
influenced by a series of unpredictable elements such as noise and light from uncontrolled
sources and the contemplation is exchanged with the ability of converting the public space
into an other experience.
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1 Article Biennial, http://www.article.no
2 Stavanger 2008 – European Capital of Culture: http://www.stavanger2008.no
3 invited by the curatorial team Curate, http://www.curate.no
Authors:
Maia Urstad, Maur Prosjekter,
Georgernes Verft 12, N-5011 Bergen, maur@maia.no; +47 97082480
Hilde Hauan Johnsen, Bergen National Academy of the Arts,
Strømgaten 1, N-5015 Bergen, hilde.hauan@khib.no;+47 91880119
Maia Urstad - www.maia.no - is an artist, curator and producer based in Bergen, Norway. Her works include sound art projects, installations, site specific performances, films etc. in Norway and internationally. She also initiates and produces sound-related art projects, exhibitions and seminars through her company Maur Prosjekter. Urstad is a member of freq_out, an artist collective curated by CM von Hausswolff,www.freq-out.org and a founding member of Lydgalleriet (the Sound Gallery) in Bergen,www.lydgalleriet.no
Hilde Hauan Johnsen is a visual artist and professor at Bergen National Academy of the Arts. Johnsen is based in Bergen and Tromsø. She works with light, transparency and textiles. Her most recent solo exhibition, Transparent, has been shown at a number of art museums and galleries. She is also involved in a research programme: www.futuretextiles.org.
Five different installations in the fibre optic series has been carried out so far:
01001-01 Zilinskas Gallery of National Museum, Kaunas, Lithuania 2007/08
01001-10 The Ambience conference, Borås 2008
01001-11 The Article Biennial, Stavanger 2008
01001-100 Interval, the passage under the Bergen City Hall, 2008
01001-101 Lydgalleriet/ the Sound Gallery, Bergen 2009
The installation series is supported by Norwegian Arts Council.
01001-11, Bryne Railway Station, Article Biennial 2008
01001-100 Interval, the passage under the Bergen City Hall, 2008
01001-101 Lydgalleriet – The Sound Gallery, Bergen 2009
