Ryoji Ikeda - data.tron / data.scan

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How many points are there in a line?
What is the number of numbers?
How can we verify that the random is random?

Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda exhibits two works from his datamatics project, which is a series of experiments that explore such questions, physically and mathematically. Visitors will experience the vast universe of data in the infinite between 0 and 1.

data.tron and data.scan are audiovisual installations composed from a combination of pure mathematics and the vast sea of data present in the world. In both works each single pixel of the visual image is strictly calculated by mathematical principle. Visitors to the exhibition will experience the vast universe of data in the infinite between 0 and 1.

data.tron and data.scan present audio-visual relationships relating to large sets of data from two recent meta-scientific investigations that have mapped the human body and the astronomical universe. The large scale vertical projection of data.tron heightens and intensifies the viewer’s perception and total immersion within the work, while the horizontal monitor-based data.scan is registered more intimately in relation to the viewer’s body. The dialogue of sound and image between data.tron and data.scan address notions of randomness, extremities of scale, and binaries of the visible/audible and invisible/inaudible.

The exhibition represents the world premiere of data.scan and the Canadian premiere of data.tron. The exhibition is produced in conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of Surrey Art Gallery’s TechLab digital art residency and exhibition program.

26 September - 13 December 2009 | Surrey Art Gallery | Vancouver, CA

data.tron co-produced by Le Fresnoy and Forma
data.scan co-produced by Surrey Art Gallery and Forma

Images: Ryuichi Maruo (courtesy of YCAM)

Related links:

Ryoji Ikeda
Diary

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