Deus Digitalis
Audiovisual installation (23′00”)
in collaboration and commissioned by visual artist Hans Verhaegen
Date of creation: Orpheus Institute Ghent, 12 Nov 2009
Part of the exhibition ‘Small World Fair’ (2010) at Metal in Southend (UK).
Selected by ‘Rhizome ArtBase‘.
More info:
‘Deus Digitalis´ is an audiovisual installation by visual artist Hans Verhaegen and composer Jean Delouvroy. On occasion of the official opening of this year´s exhibition, this creation will be integrated in the characteristic context of the Orpheus Institute´s concert hall. The basic elements consist of computer-steered animation of the recognizable distinctive human pattern by Hans Verhaegen and the inventive composed sound layers by Jean Delouvroy. It´s the first time both artists combine forces.
Visuals
The animation is made in Flash (old school flash based on an animation by Jared ‘Levitated’ Tarbell from 2001). Inspiration was also triggered by visiting the Cathedral in Köln (Germany) with the recent glass window by the German contemporary painter Gerhard Richter. The screen is filled with dancing human figures. In a style that reminds us of early ’80 computer games. These are symmetrically arranged in groups of 25 people in different colors. The colors are simply the default colors you can find in almost any graphical program. These do very well in simulating the “typical” gothic colors of glass windows.
Music
The music consists of a 23 minute looped soundscape situated in a very low frequency range. This is the result of a complex manipulation via software of a self composed baroque fugue for a chorus. It could be interpreted as a group of giants singing in slowmotion with a endless breath like they are frozen in time. A layer of crackling sounds appears and disappears and triggers the visuals.
general info about Deus Digitalis
Rhizome ArtBase about Deus Digitalis
online article by Kathleen O. about Deus Digitalis