The Enlightenment

The Quiet Ensemble is an artistic collective formed by Fabio Di Salvo & Bernardo Vercelli.

In their installation The Enlightenment, each lamp is equipped with a sensor that captures its electromagnetic field. The resulting hum is sent to a computer and then to the sound system. From the authors' notes:

A concert in which the classical orchestra and instruments are replaced by an electric setup. Instead of violins, neon lights play, drums are replaced by strobe lights, and instead of harps, a theatrical spotlight illuminates the audience. Therefore, lights of all kinds will replace musical instruments.

Each type of lamp has its own sound, consisting of the amplification of its own "buzz," that disturbing noise that is usually eliminated during concerts and shows, generated by the electricity that powers each individual lamp.

The frequencies emitted by the lights can be felt under the skin and vary based on the size and type of illumination of the lamp.

A copper coil is used to extract the hidden sound of the lights.

Each lamp has its own sensor that perceives its sound; When the lamp radiates light, the sensor captures the electromagnetic field present around the energy flow and the noise is transported through microphone cables to the computer and then exits directly from the sound system, revealing the "invisible concert".

Back