Heaven’s Carousel

source: vidafundaciontelefonica

The Heaven’s Carousel is a sound and light installation reflecting how the ancient music of the spheres might sound like in the age of modern astrophysics. Here it echoes recent astronomical discoveries as the accelerated expansion of the universe or the discovery of planets around other stars. Light physics is translated into acoustics creating a kind of sound cyclotron accelerating 36 loudspeakers in a suspending carousel structure. Space becomes an instrument synthesizing new sounds. As the played sine waves are compressed or expanded when the circulating loudspeakers approach or depart, the pitch of the played sine waves changes up or down depending on the relative velocity of the speaker. This so called Doppler Effect depends of the listener’s position, so the visitors are invited to move under the installation to explore this re-organizing sound universe. Since in the center there is no effect at all the sound field starts to oscillate more and more moving outwards. The loudspeaker’s LED illumination translates the frequency of the sine wave into a colour The activity is controlled by cellular automaton rules. During the 25-minute sound performance the other phenomena and processes that inspired the piece become evident. For example the progress from the high pitched and bright blue tones that represent the beginning of the Universe to the deep tones of red and low frequency sounds that illustrate what we observe in the distant Universe with Hubble Space Telescope today. The work was a commission by ESA (European Space Agency).
About the author
Tim Otto Roth After holds a degree in the theory of visual communication from Kunsthochschule Kassel and studies in politics and philosophy at University in Tübingen.In 2014 he doctorate at Academy of Media Arts (KHM) Cologne. Between 2002 and 2005 he was guest lecturer in Madrid, Valencia and Kassel. Since 2002 Roth gains international attention by his larger projects in public space with projection or media facade based works for instance, in Rotterdam, Venice, Alexandria or New York City, which are often realized in close collaboration with top research institutions around the globe. Numerous projects are related to astro(particle)physics and models of self-organization as cellular automata or neurobiological networks. His recent projects focus more often in the medium of sound such as “Sonapticon” (2012) realized as guest composer at the ZKM Sounddome, or the “Heaven’s Carousel” having premiered in spring 2014 in Rome. Roth received numerous awards as German Light Art Award/ Lüdenscheid and International Media Art Award by SWR & ZKM Karlsruhe. In 2009 he received a Honorary Mention by Ars Electronica, Linz. He lives in Oppenau (Black Forest) and Cologne.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: zkmde

Mit dem »Heaven’s Carousel« scheint im Herzen der Karlsruher Innenstadt vor dem Naturkundemuseum ein leuchtendes Klang-UFO gelandet zu sein, das antike Sphärenmusik unter den Vorzeichen der Astrophysik des 21. Jahrhunderts neu interpretiert.

In zehn Metern Höhe schwebt an einem Kran eine luftige Karussell-Konstruktion, von der an zwölf Strängen insgesamt 36 kugelförmige, leuchtende Lautsprecher hängen. Das »Heaven’s Carousel« hebt in den Abendstunden ab: In Rotation versetzt, drehen sich die in Leuchtkugeln integrierten Lautsprecher mit einem Durchmesser von bis zu 16 Metern über den Köpfen der BesucherInnen. Sie sind eingeladen, sich unter der Installation frei zu bewegen, um das sich kontinuierlich verändernde Klanguniversum zu erkunden. Auch wenn aus den einzelnen Lautsprechern »nur« reine Töne erklingen, so rekombinieren sich diese im Raum zu komplexen Klanggebilden. Aufgrund des Doppler-Effekts klingt dabei ein Ton höher, wenn die Klangquelle auf die BesucherInnen zufliegt, und tiefer, wenn sie sich wieder entfernt.

Die Illumination der Lautsprecher vervollständigt das als Auftragsarbeit der Europäischen Raumfahrtagentur (ESA) für das Hubble Space Telescope entstandene Gesamtkunstwerk. Die Helligkeit zeigt nicht nur die relative Lautstärke und Aktivität einer Klangkugel an, sondern die gespielte Tonhöhe wird auch in eine spektrale Farbe übersetzt.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: spacetelescopeorg

This episode of the Hubblecast explores the intersection of science and art through the artwork of Tim Otto Roth — premiered in March 2014 at the fourth Hubble Space Telescope Conference at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.

Heaven’s Carousel is a huge carousel like sound installation with 36 rotating illuminated loudspeakers. It was inspired by Hubble research, in particular the expanding Universe.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: youtube

l’accademia nazionale dei lincei, nel contesto del congresso “science with the Hubble space telescope IV”, ospita l’inaugurazione di “heaven’s carousel”, un’installazione artistica pensata e realizzata da Tim Otto Roth, artista e compositore tedesco.