DANCE OF THE COSMOS

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Dance of the Cosmos - Marina Colell

Interactive Installation, Extrabold Festival, Barcelona 2019

At the intersection of design, quantum physics, music and technology, Dance of the cosmos is an art installation where the visitors’ interaction is key. A journey into the quantum dimension, an interpretation of string theory in a tangible experience where music, light and concept are fused with the movements of those who enter the space, creating ephemeral universes with the dance of their own bodies.

String theory describes the whole universe, from the smallest neutrino to the biggest galaxy, and postulates that elementary particles aren’t the smallest thing in the cosmos, but that they are created by tiny strands of energy, the thinnest strings, which produce elementary particles as they vibrate. Just like the strings of an instrument creating musical notes with their vibration, the strings from the theory would create particles with their different ways of vibrating.

The concept evolves into an installation where seventeen beams of light represent the strings from the theory, one for each of the seventeen elementary particles. These light beams fall from the ceiling, vertically to the floor. Each light beam is connected to a sensor on the floor, which is activated when the light reaching it is blocked: when someone puts their hand or body through the lightbeam, the sensor activates a sound. Each light beam is associated with an elementary particle, and each particle is assigned a specific sound, which can be heard when someone moves under the light beam.

- Marina Colell

Ínfim is a collaboration between artists Ferran Belda and Joan Sandoval around experimentation and novel technologies, with a particular ineterest in using lasers in realtime experiences. The duo designed and executed the interactive and visual elements of Dance of the Cosmos using a special RGB laser diode combined with seventeen custom photoresistor modules. These were used to create a truly immersive and enchanting interactive experience.
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Orignial Concept & Design: Marina Colell
Artchitecture: Studio Sauras
Creative Coding: Ferran Belda, Joan Sandoval
Music: Bru Ferri
Movement: Elena Tarrats, Marc Vilajuana
Host: Bau Barcelona
Photography & Filmmaking: Montse Capdevila
Text Revision: Sonia Fernández-Vidal
Management: Gisela Colell