Infinite (2024)
Immersive randomised spatial musical composition in four movements for a space of any dimensions.
Infinite carves physical space into clusters of sounds, chords and notes. These clusters, generated at random but according to specific rules, emerge and dissipate over various timescales, eventually ceding the space to the next cluster event. Each movement uses randomness in a specific way – results have structure but the randomness ensures unpredictability and no repetition.
Physically, the space contains hundreds of suspended bespoke ‘orbs’ at various heights (each orb emanates its own independent light and sounds) yet still allowing visitors to walk through the space, hearing the composition unfold from any chosen vantage point. The result is clouds of sounds, chords resulting from combined individual notes emanating from multiple speakers, appearing at specific locations in the space – a fully spatialised 3D sonic experience, shared but yet unique to each visitor.
Infinite uses any number of orbs, though the version documented has around 200, suspended at random heights. The orbs were designed and built by us, and each includes an ESP32 processor, LEDs and its own speaker.
The work comprises a three section loop (of variable length but set as around five minutes for the documentation). It is ambient by nature, exploring the overlaps between immersion and atmosphere, the finite and the infinite.
The sections use different sample sets (white noise, piano and strings) triggered using randomised parameters (the notes played, timing, location, size of cloud, rate of expansion), generated in real time.