unfold

Unfold is an immersive installation created by Japanese artist, Ryoichi Kurokawa. The images shown on the installation are taken by space telescopes, slowly recording the cosmic history of our sun, all several billion years of it. Using these collected images and data, Ryoichi has created an imaginative, abstract piece that shows how the universe may have come into being.

Ryoichi works to make this an incredibly immersive and powerful experience. In addition to audio and visual elements, he makes use of a transducer to vibrate the floor in the area of his piece, creating a physical "feel" to the piece.  unfold is meant to be as close as possible to an accurate representation of how the universe began, translatingspace data concerning the formation of stars and galaxies into sounds, images (displayed on the installation), and vibrations (via the floor).

The Creator’s Project Article About unfold: http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/en_uk/blog/experience-the-birth-of-stars-in-ryoichi-kurokawas-unfold

“Science is not art and art is not science, but both can dialogue, and giving nowadays possibilities around technologies –not just in terms of the production and instrumentation, but also in the sense of consciousness and the exploration of new territories of time, space, energy and our universe as such–, the dialogue can be enriching for both sides.” Isaza, Miguel (2016, May 5th) http://sonicfield.org/2016/05/ryoichi-kurokawa-unfold/

Taking two different fields of study (science and art) and finding a way to intertwine them helps a topic reach a wider audience. People who study science think about the world around them in different ways than artists do (and different types of scientists from other types of scientists, and different types of artists from other artists, and so on.) Everyone has their own unique perspective and by hybridizing these perspectives, we can better achieve a result that mirrors how something is. A single person looking at a sunset can tell you what it is and what it means to them, but that is only a part of what the sunset really is. It’s like a giant puzzle where every person hold a single piece, and we all have to work together to complete it.

People have been questioning the origins of the universe for a very long time. Science has actively sought these answers, but has yet to come up with a concrete answer that satisfies the layman. This piece, while looking at the issue through an artistic, abstract lens, is still backed up by scientific data, and the fusion may make the presentation more acceptable to the average person than a theory only shown by cold hard facts. Quantum physicists may be content with strange and complicated theories like String (http://www.superstringtheory.com/) and M (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory) Theory; these highly technical explanations often leave non quantum physicists feeling confused and unsatisfied with their inability to come to terms with what is being described.

Oscillating Continuum (2013) is another piece by Ryoichi Kurokawa. This piece is meant to simulate how all matter oscillates (varies in magnitude or position around a central point) continuously. Similar to most of his works, it is an audio visual structure that blends physical and digital elements. The physical structure serves as the central point around which the digital (visual and audio) imagery varies in position and the audio varies in magnitude(volume).  Like unfold, this piece presents a scientific concept in an artistic manner, making it more presentable to those who’s grasp of the more complicated and abstract sciences is less than completely comprehending.

Interview with Ryoichi Kurokawa: http://www.asianartnewspaper.com/article/ryoichi-kurokawa-new-order

Supersymmetry is an artistic imagining of a proposal of space-time(time and 3-dimensional space fused into a four-dimensional continuum) as it relates to boson and fermion, and proposes a third particle that explains why particles have mass. Like Ryoichi Kurokawa's work (With unfold you can enjoy the artistic rendering of the formation of the universe even if you don’t understand the scientific concepts behind it. With Oscillating Continuum you can be mesmerized and entranced by the movement and rhythmic hum of the structure without understanding why or how matter oscillates constantly) Supersymmetry takes a scientific concept (in this case: https://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/some-speculative-theoretical-ideas-for-the-lhc/supersymmetry/supersymmetry-what-is-it/) and puts it into an audio-visual installation so that even those who might not entirely understand the scientific principles behind the piece can enjoy the artistic interpretation.

unfold will be going on exhibition for the first time in Liverpool, March 11th- June 12. (http://www.visitliverpool.com/travel-trade/events/ryoichi-kurokawa-unfold-p389081)

Additional Info: http://sonicfield.org/2016/05/ryoichi-kurokawa-unfold/