spectra (installation)
51°29′49.0″N 0°7′30.0″W / 51.496944°N 0.125000°W
spectra is an installation by the artist Ryoji Ikeda which consists of 49 powerful beams of light shining together into the sky, accompanied by a soundscape. It is the latest in a series of compositions in light and sound which the artist has conceived with the spectra label, such as data.spectra and spectra ii.
Background
spectra was commissioned by Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the 14–18 NOW programme of the Imperial War Museum for the centenary of World War One[citation needed]. It was switched on at the end of the Lights Out event on 4 August 2014, when the lights of many buildings in the UK were turned off in recollection of Sir Edward Grey's famous prophecy that, "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." The installation's lamps will be turned off for good at dawn on 11 August 2014, as the installation is only planned to last a week.[1][2]
History
Ryoji Ikeda has produced similar installations elsewhere but in different configurations. The first was a tunnel of light at JFK Airport in New York in 2004. 25 outdoor beams were arrayed around Amsterdam in 2008 for the city's Dream Amsterdam event. A more concentrated 64-beam installation was then created in Paris that year for their annual Nuit Blanche festival. Other cities which have hosted the installation include Hobart[3], Buenos Aires and Nagoya.[4]
The spotlights are xenon arc lamps requiring 4 kilowatts of power each. The array and the sound system are powered by four diesel generators fuelled by vegetable oil. A crew of thirty technicians assemble, test and maintain the installation.[5] The soundscape is inspired by mathematical concepts and consists of pure sine waves.[6]
Gallery
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Spectra pierces the Hobart Skyline, 22 June 2013 -
Crowds are drawn to the nightly spectacle -
Spectators can get in amongst the lights -
The base of the installation is in Victoria Tower Gardens
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References
- ^ WW1 centenary: Column of light illuminates London commemoration, BBC News, 5 August 2014
- ^ Richard Dorment (5 August 2014), "ArtAngel spectra: London's centenary beam of light", Daily Telegraph
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3782288.htm. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Ryoji Ikeda (2010), spectra
- ^ Sean O'Hagan (5 August 2014), "Spectra: the dazzling column of light over London", The Guardian
- ^ "Spectra Ryoji Ikeda", Lights Out, 14-18-NOW, 2014
External links
- Artangel – the collective which produced the project