Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
09 Oct 2008 - 18 Jan 2009
© Rafael Lozano-Hemmer
Frequency and Volume, Relational Architecture 9, Biennale di Venezia, Italy, 2007
Frequency and Volume, Relational Architecture 9, Biennale di Venezia, Italy, 2007
RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER
"Frequency and Volume"
9 October 2008 - 18 January 2009
The Curve
Working at the crossroads between architecture, sculpture and performance, the Mexico-born, Canada-based artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is well known for developing large-scale installations in public spaces. His work encourages both social interaction and audience participation through the deployment of new technologies.
The artist’s immersive sculptural environments are at the forefront of artistic experimentation with new media, and regularly focus on political issues of surveillance and information ownership.
For his first solo UK exhibition in a public gallery, Lozano-Hemmer transforms The Curve into an immense interactive environment. Frequency and Volume is composed of 48 radios, which can potentially all be tuned to different channels simultaneously. The 90-metre long arc of the gallery wall becomes a visual and sonic representation of London’s radio spectrum, constantly changing according to the physical position of its visitors.
On entering the space, participants’ shadows are cast on the wall. Monitored by a video tracking system, each shadow tunes in to a radio frequency, changing channels as it moves around the gallery. The outline of a projected shadow affects the tuning, while its size controls the volume, thus the human body becomes an antenna able to tune into different frequencies. The resulting sound environment is a continuously evolving composition created by multiple contributors.
"Frequency and Volume"
9 October 2008 - 18 January 2009
The Curve
Working at the crossroads between architecture, sculpture and performance, the Mexico-born, Canada-based artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is well known for developing large-scale installations in public spaces. His work encourages both social interaction and audience participation through the deployment of new technologies.
The artist’s immersive sculptural environments are at the forefront of artistic experimentation with new media, and regularly focus on political issues of surveillance and information ownership.
For his first solo UK exhibition in a public gallery, Lozano-Hemmer transforms The Curve into an immense interactive environment. Frequency and Volume is composed of 48 radios, which can potentially all be tuned to different channels simultaneously. The 90-metre long arc of the gallery wall becomes a visual and sonic representation of London’s radio spectrum, constantly changing according to the physical position of its visitors.
On entering the space, participants’ shadows are cast on the wall. Monitored by a video tracking system, each shadow tunes in to a radio frequency, changing channels as it moves around the gallery. The outline of a projected shadow affects the tuning, while its size controls the volume, thus the human body becomes an antenna able to tune into different frequencies. The resulting sound environment is a continuously evolving composition created by multiple contributors.