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PLANETARY RUNWAY
audiovisual installation 2009/2025 Audiovisual installation for 8 loudspeakers and 8 strobe lights, placed along a straight line of at least 50 meters. First realized at Silent Green, Berlin/Germany in 2025, with special thanks to Villa Aurora | Thomas Mann House and in particular Clara Becker. Along a 50-meter tunnel, eight units are set up at irregular distances, each consisting of a loudspeaker and a strobe light. A repeating pattern of eight short pitches is played: the first through the top loudspeaker, the second through the next, and so on. Each pitch triggers a simultaneous flash. While the pitches vary, the rhythm stays constant. But sound travels at only about 344 meters per second, so across 50 meters, audible delays occur between distant loudspeakers. The rhythm is calibrated so that, at the tunnel’s far end, all sounds align in a regular sequence. Light, however, travels much faster, so the flashes at a distance are no longer synchronized with the arriving sounds. At every point along the tunnel, the sonic rhythm shifts slightly and becomes irregular - a direct result of the finite speed of sound. As you walk through the tunnel, the speed of sound becomes palpable. |
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