Sonic Fountain II

An excavation filled with milky water, Sonic Fountain is surmounted by nine taps distributed in a grid which taste according to a precisely written score. In the water, microphones record the sound of drops of water – sound broadcast live in space, like a concert. In the artist’s words, Sonic Fountain “is a deliberately abstract work that bares architecture and reveals its rhythm, tempo and language”.

At Present
Who has never contemplated drops of water seeking their path down a windowpane? Drops of water fall on a glass stele; they do not seem to be moving randomly, they wander, follow invisible bends and form letters and parts of letters; they provide glimpses of words […]

Chijikinkutsu
“Chijikinkutsu” is a coinage, specially created for the title of this work by mingling two Japanese words: “Chijiki” and “Suikinkutsu”.”Chijiki” means geomagnetism: terrestrial magnetic properties that cannot be sensed by the human body but that exists everywhere on earth. Since long before the Age of Discovery, people have traveled with navigation using compasses employing geomagnetism. In recent years, various devises that utilize geomagnetism have even been incorporated into smartphones[…] “Suikinkutsu” is a sound installation for a Japanese traditional garden, invented in the Edo period. The sounds of water drops falling into an earthenware pot buried under a stone wash basin resonate through hollow bamboo utensils. The concept of the work “Chijikinkutsu” does not derive from experimentalism of science and technology on which media arts rely, nor from architectural theory of western music upon which some sound arts lay their foundation. While utilizing the action of geomagnetism normally treated as a subject of science, this sound installation expands the subtle sounds of “Suikinkutsu” in the context of Japanese perspective on Nature.

Light in Water Installation
‘Light in Water’ is a site-specific installation intended to provide an immersive and emotional experience. It was previously presented at Milan Design Week 2011. The installation took advantage of the unique status of the venue – one of the oldest concrete domes in Paris. The installation was thus adapted to the circular form of the space, defining the inner sanctuary as a ‘place to be’ and an outer area as a space for a bystander. There are sixteen rings of slotted tubes on the ceiling. From each hole, 60 drops of water fall every minute; in total 3 tons of water circulate in the space. The LED lights vibrate between on and off, with frequencies ranging from the shortest interval possible, at 7μs, allowing the viewer to materialise a point of light in water, up to 6000μs, where light becomes the line of water.

Water Cathedral
Supported by a minimal external steel framework, the inverted cones are suspended from a wire grid to capture rainwater within a plastic bag. Dripping at different pulses and speeds, water drops exit the textile covering to generate a cool atmosphere for visitors beneath the canopy. Stalagmites formed with concrete blocks double as benches, strategically placing individuals below the streams of water.