The Quasar Series
The Quasar Series (2007- 2013), which included Quasar,
Quasar 2: Star Incubator, and
Quasar 3 [danger du zero], was an iteration of immersive
interactive light and sound installations that explore the world that exists beyond our
senses by converging light and sound events in a tangible architectonic sculptural
object. The name of the series is derived from a more or less mysterious astronomical
occurrence, called quasars, and are understood as extremely ancient and highly luminous
events that occur in the furthest known reaches in our known Universe. The significance
of quasars to the work is that they represent the edge of what can be seen and known,
they are a demarcation of our epistemological horizon.
The main body of the
installations were designed as an immersive landscape that formed a visually striking
array of crystalline-like elements and fibre optic strands and acrylic structural
elements that were supported by an intricate metallic substructure, whose form was
inspired by quantum loops. The sculpture was embedded with scores of microcontrollers
that controlled hundreds of LED’s that would light up the fibre optic strands
independently. Sensors in the exhibition space would draw data from the installation’s
surroundings and a multi-channel sound system integrated in the body gave a voice to the
installation’s virtual life processes.
The data fields connected to Quasar
were collected from a variety of sources that range spatially from very distant
celestial to intimately local, and temporally in scope from years of data collection to
the instantaneous event.
with Aaron Bocanegra, Mark-David Hosale, and Duly Lee
with Duly Lee, Micaela Neus, F. Myles Sciotto, Marco Verde
