By causing the photons to vibrate constantly, the laser beam becomes highly concentrated and powerful, so immensely powerful in fact that – in simplified terms – it appears as if it could go on forever. For their "Deep Web" installation, the artists opted to create the opposite effect by setting animated end points in the form of luminous spheres to the normally infinite laser beams, thus creating fascinating sculptural light drawings and arrangements in cavernous darkness.
The computer-controlled luminous structure comprised 175 motorised spheres woven into a 25-metre wide and ten-metre high super-structure. The network of spheres was programmed move up and down, choreographed and synchronised to an original multi-channel musical score, the spheres being activated to move individually, collectively or in groups. Twelve high-power laser systems pinpointed the spheres from all sides. The kinetics of the hanging network of spheres, the numerous colourful laser beams and the accompanying sound design together generated a massive, dancing, three-dimensional painting made of light – like a gigantic immersive vector drawing in thin air. The underlying charm of this audio-visual spectacle is hard to put across using only static images. A video comes closer to spreading the infectious atmosphere. Or best of all a live experience – but that was only possible during last year’s Festival of Light in Lyon, where "Deep Web" literally took the stage.
Design: WhiteVoid – Christopher Bauder (light artist)
Sound: Robert Henke (composer/musician)
Technical realisation: LaserAnimation Sollinger, Kinetic Lights
Products applied: Spheres, Winch LED – KineticLights
