Semiconductor: Solar Systems
Image still: Magnetic Movie by Semiconductor (2007)
Solar Systems is the forthcoming major exhibition by leading Brighton based digital artists and filmmakers, Semiconductor. The exhibition will run from 3 September until 16 October at Phoenix Brighton.
Semiconductor examine our physical environment, using science and digital craft to create artworks that question our place in the natural world.
Solar Systems is their first major exhibition in the South East for four years. It draws together three recent installations that explore our relationship with the Sun. The three works use different technologies – photography, satellites, and CGI – to observe the interactions between our nearest star and the Earth.
Heliocentric is a stunning single channel digital video installation made from time-lapse photography and astronomical tracking of the Sun’s trajectory across a series of landscapes. The highly acclaimed Black Rain uses images collected by the solar satellite STEREO, which studies the solar wind and the Sun’s coronal mass ejections, as they head towards Earth. The rarely seen Out of the Light is a time-based sculpture which shows how celestial events, such as a solar eclipse or the transit of Venus, can reveal themselves through the play of light and shadow.
These works are emblematic of the artists’ ongoing investigation of the natural world, which has resulted in major works on astronomy (Brilliant Noise, 2006), and geology (Worlds in the Making, 2011). Their unique approach has won them fellowships and residencies in significant scientific locations such as NASA’s Space Sciences Lab, the Galapagos Islands and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Their work is part of several international public collections and has been exhibited globally including Venice Biennale, The Royal Academy, Hirshhorn Museum, BBC, ICA and the Exploratorium.
Magnetic Movie by Semiconductor is part of the Animate Projects archive and can be watched online at animateprojects.org. You can also read the commissioned essay by Douglas Kahn on Magnetic Movie, both from 2007.
Solar Systems is curated by Lighthouse in partnership with Phoenix Brighton for Brighton Digital Festival.