Tarja Ervasti: Colour music with Fractures

Interactive light art inspired by colour music, 2018

Colour music with Fractures is an interactive light art piece by Tarja Ervasti with contemporary music by Willie Budsko and a user interface designed by Jokke Heikkilä. It was first exhibited in MUU gallery (2018) and Ateneum Art museum, Helsinki (2019).

The artwork creates musical landscapes of colour and sound. The visual form of the piece alludes to the light organ, an instrument for playing colour music - an artform that is based on synaesthesia.

The work features lighting sequences created for seven compositions of about two minutes. Each music has seven alternative colour schemes, one chosen by the artist and others for the audience to play, according to their own sensibility of the music - colour relationship. The lighting sequences include colour schmes of red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, violet and white.

The materials of the artwork are a frame structure of black polycarbonate, a back projection screen, lighting instruments hung on a truss system, LED light balls with motors, two intelligent moving lights, audio and control systems and the user interface. All the materials belong to the artist except loudspeakers, truss system and moving lights, which should be rented on site.

Tarja Ervasti

Lighting designer MA, University of Arts Helsinki, b.1957. Lives in Helsinki, Finland

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Information

Artwork finished in: 2018

Dimensions of the work:

4,5 m wide, 6 m deep (including user interface position), 3,2 m high.

Spaces suitable for exhibiting the work:

Semi-heated space, Heated space

Work’s durability:

Indoors

Requirements for the space:

dark (gleaming exit-lights etc. allowed), dim (light enough for walking)

Colouring requirements:

insignificant, neutral environment

Electricity consumption:

Standard mains current (10A/16A), At least 2 x 16A outlets

Support and other structures:

The work needs support structures (trusses), hanging points, or similar

Required technology:

Loudspeakers and 2 moving lights should be rented at location.

Sound:

There is sound. The sound is played on a relatively soft volume.

Minimum height of the space:

4 m

Minimum square meters of the space:

Building time and people required (estimate):

2 - 4 days, artist and operator + 2 multitasking workers from the site

Artist's presence:

Artist or their representative must be present during building

On-site building:

Assembled on-site