THE LIGHTS WHICH CAN BE HEARD – LE DERNIER SON DES AURORES
SÉBASTIEN ROBERT
Installation and visual art
The Lights Which Can Be Heard – Le dernier son des aurores is a research and creation project about the sound of the aurora borealis, which has long been witnessed by various indigenous communities in the Arctic. Despite the many accounts, the Western scientific community denied their existence for decades until some hypotheses about their origin began to surface in the 1950s, but are still debated today.
Some believe that the natural VLF (Very Low Frequency) radio waves produced by the aurora borealis can be perceived in the observer/listener’s environment. Some natural elements (minerals or crystals) would act as receivers and transform the radio waves (electromagnetic) into the audible spectrum (acoustic). Without rejecting any hypothesis, it is this last one that caught Sébastien’s attention for his project.
Despite successful recordings following a three-week residence on Andøya in Norway, Sébastien realised that the VLF waves emitted by the aurora are increasingly difficult to perceive because they are more and more drowned out by artificial signals. They are therefore bound to disappear. Inspired by this unique context, and in the continuity of his previous work, Sébastien is currently developing a body of work around this research, which will allow the audience to perceive the sounds of the aurora borealis while preserving them in light.
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Artist
France Jobin (QC/CA)
France Jobin, artiste audio et compositrice de film basée à Montréal, se distingue par son art audio minimaliste, qualifié de « sculpture sonore ». Elle crée des environnements sonores complexes mêlant analogique et numérique. Ses installations intègrent des éléments musicaux et visuels inspirés par l’architecture, et peuvent être vécues dans des espaces non conventionnels et des festivals internationaux de nouvelles technologies. France Jobin a produit de nombreux albums sous des labels renommés tels que LINE (US), Baskaru (FR), et Editions Mego. Sa musique explore les notions de retenue et de limite, jouant habilement avec les extrêmes, les amplitudes et les silences pour créer des narratifs complexes. En 2021, elle a présenté “Entanglement AV” avec Markus Heckmann à Mutek Édition 22. En 2022, elle a créé “Entanglement XR”, et en 2023, “Entanglement dôme” à la SAT. Influencée par la physique quantique, la pandémie a approfondi son exploration de cet univers scientifique.
Credits & mentions
Originally commissioned by STRP Festival
Creation realized in coproduction with the platform CHRONIQUES CREATIONS, supported by the DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the City of Marseille and the French Institute in Paris
With the financial support of Stroom Den Haag, DICRéAM, Fonds [SCAN] Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie
With the intellectual support of The Royal Library of the Netherlands, The Tromsø Geophysical Observatory, Fiona Armery (University of Cambridge), Rob Stammes (Polarlightcenter), Harald Gaski (University of Tromsø ), Hans Ragnar Mathisen and Matti Aikio
With the technical support of Lucien Nicou (design + production), Leandros Ntolas (light + optics), Pim Kerssemakers (metalwork), Mark IJzerman (TouchDesigner) and Zois Loumakis (hardware + software)
Under the artistic supervision of Jean-Emmanuel Rosnet
Initiated during the Arctic Wave residency (Andøya, NO)
Partner: Les Méjanes – Bibliothèque et Archives Michel Vovelle
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