Have you ever heard the sun create beautiful melodies with musical instrument? Well, it sounds a little weird, but this is exactly what you would get to see at the University of Plymouth in Devon. A monolithic structure that was constructed in 2007 to house the arts and architecture faculties on the edge of the University will itself behave like an instrument. It has been six years since this institution started conducting a festival called the Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival and this year the organizers thought of an innovative idea.
The idea is to convert the Roland Levinsky building itself into an instrument. The institution has planned an interesting performance that will leave the audiences spellbound. Artists Alexis Kirke and Tim Hodgson have placed light sensors in windows on each floor of the building for a performance called “Sunlight Symphony: Sunrise”. As the sun emerges over the horizon and the first rays of light falls on the top most sensor facing the direction of sunrise, a single note would be heard loud. With light moving down until the ninth floor, other notes get activated, producing nine different layers of sound. With the increase in the intensity of the light as the sun moves higher in the sky different melodies and harmonies come out.
The end of the festival will mark the reverse performance. As the sun sets on the final day, “Sunlight Symphony: Sunset” begins. When the sun begins to set, the music will slowly wind down and get simpler and simpler until the ground floor no longer receives any light. With the light moving away from the top floor’s light detector, the performance comes to a halt. Another performance that will light up the festival is the ‘Electroshop’ by an Italian quartet comprising of Anna Troisi, Antonino Chiaramonte, Giorgio Distante and Roberto Paci Dalò. The festival is running until Sunday 7 March, 2010.
Via: Wired