Ryoji Ikeda - test pattern [n˚2]

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Ryoji Ikeda premieres two works at ARTe SONoro, Madrid's first dedicated sound art exhibition.

test pattern [n˚2] presents flickering black and white imagery that floats and convulses in darkness on two screens, one on the floor and another floor to ceiling, in time with a stark and powerful, highly synchronised soundtrack. Through a real–time computer programme, Ikeda's audio signal patterns are converted into tightly synchronised barcode patterns on the screens. Viewers are literally immersed in the work, and the velocity of the moving images is ultra–fast, some hundreds of frames per second, providing a totally immersive and powerful experience. The work provides a performance test for the audio and visual devices, as well as a response test for the audience's perceptions.

An original installation driven by the same concept was commissioned by the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, Japan, for Ikeda’s solo show in March - May 2008, at which time the CD test pattern was released on German label raster–noton. In May 2008 a touring version of the work - test pattern [live set] – was premiered at Dissonanze in Italy. Since then, the work has featured in leading festivals around the world, including Dream Amsterdam, Holland; Canariasmediafest, Spain; Electro-Mechanica Festival, Russia; Itaú Cultural, Brazil; Elektra 10, Canada; and more recently Transmediale, Germany.

Exhibition

22 April - 13 June 2010 | ARTe SONoro, La Casa Encendida | Madrid, ES

Commissioned by La Casa Encendida
Produced by Forma

Images: Liz Hingley

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