Sound and light installation, King's College Chapel
I only found out about this hours earlier so I rounded up the troops and hurried to King's Parade. It was a dark November evening, quite cold. Dispersed groups of people hang around, some sitting on the wall in front, others clustered in doorways opposite. Quite a few pedestrians and cyclists were clearly taken by surprise and stopped short.
The show is on a 15-minute loop so you arrive at any time during its run. The 'start' happens gradually: a circle of bright dots lights up the top of the building.
This then spreads to cover the entire façade. The 15th-C building starts to look like a projection itself. The dots of light are so intense, they seem real and the façade just a mirage.
The dots grow and take over everything. They cast a light shadow in the sky. The music is ethereal and at times a low, subliminal throb.
King's ends up looking like a huge 1970s lava lamp, with dots forming blobs and merging with one another. The sound thrums. Sometimes the electronic music is punctuated by the clanging of church bells; also, taxis going by and people going "ooh".
To experience the music and the motion, watch my 3 short clips. Click on the pictures to play the clip.
The next one sounds almost like Indonesian gamelan:
What and where: Plenum, a light and sound art installation by artist Simeon Nelson. Computer artist Rob Goodman composed the music, and Nick Rothwell did the visuals. King's College Chapel, Cambridge, 14-15 Nov 2012. 15 minute loops.
Find out more about this fabulously inventive artist's work at Simeon Nelson's website.
Plenum was first shown in Toruń (Poland) (youtube clip). It was brought to England by the Cambridge Music Festival.
We should keep this here until 25 December. It makes a fabulous Christmas tree, don't you think?
Permalink: http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2012/11/kings-college-glows-at-night.html
Permalink: http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2012/11/kings-college-glows-at-night.html
