‘Ryoji Ikeda‘
Ryoji Ikeda is a digital audio-visual artist from Japan. He considers data a material, subject to be composed. This allows him to explore the underlying structures of our existence through implementing the human genome, structure of a protein or astronomical data as the input of his sounds/visuals. He translates these binary data sets into light and sound, giving us a perceivable representation of these hidden structures. He is converting patterns present in our existence that are on an unreachable plane, into a human experience.
This fascination with hidden structures informs his choice of sound. We as humans are perceptually limited by our sensory capabilities, we can only hear or see frequencies within a certain bandwidth. Ikeda tends to use frequencies very close to the edges of these bandwidths, highlighting the metaphysical distance between us and the material.
‘My aim is to show and experience the sound of data, and the data of sound’
Ikeda considers himself a composer, he collects enormous amounts of data which he then feeds to his ‘musicians’, the computers. This orchestral approach to sound art allows for a dispersion of the data through a multichannel installation.
The experience of his installations is that of sensory assault to some people, with the combination of extreme frequencies and flashing lights it can be disorienting. This sensory overload can have a hypnotic effect, inducing trance like states. I think that this is exactly the result you would expect given the source of the sound, Ikeda is presenting the audience a level of data/information that although perceivable through Ikeda’s practice, is not comprehensible.
The installation is constructed as environments for experience, people are encouraged to sit down or lie on the floor to experience the work. In this way Ikeda has placed the audience within the data, illustrating and emphasising the data’s original context. These data sets are all around us (the human genome etc.) they permeate our existence, this engulfing scale with which Ikeda presents this barrage of sensory stimulation reflects that permeation.
If an audio visual installation is an invitation for perceptual investigation (which I think it should be), then the hidden structures and imperceivable world is an excellent subject matter to explore. I would like to invite the audience to experience a sensory element of life in a different way, as Ikeda has done here. I would also like to create an all encompassing environment in which the ‘mobile visitor’ is tempted to stay for a while, relax and experience the work.
https://www.ryojiikeda.com/biography/