Darkstar

DARKSTAR – ARTISTIC RESEARCH PROJECT

 

Darkstar is a multi-annual artistic research project which joined creators from various fields in the research and development of a contemporary, interactive and mobile monument for public space. DarkStar is designed as an open platform for technological, architectural, sound and graphic innovations.

Between 2011 and 2015, DarkStar joined more than 30 artists, programmers, architects and musicians, who worked collaboratively towards the realisation of its different versions. The underlying mission of DarkStar was to experiment with the possibilities of creating a contemporary interactive monument and to redefine the role of monuments today.

DarkStar is a light and sound installation for the public space. It is a synergetic monument for the contemporary city and its urban dweller. Instead of celebrating an important historical landmark or a person, it is devoted to the universe and the passing of time. A large sphere, raised above the heads of its viewers with constellations of stars gently floating across its surface, the monument is best seen at night when its sonic and visual emissions change constantly in real-time response to its onlookers.

DarkStar outdoor version functions as a public clock that reflects lunar phases. The new moon is marked by complete blackness, on a day-by-day basis a band of light grows until full moon when DarkStar is completely illuminated. Through it’s continual rotation, this band of light counts the eternal passing of time, completing one rotation every minute.

However, in combination with the lunar phase this movement also reflects the ephemerality of our relationship with time. After the half moon, when the light area becomes larger than the dark, our perception tells us that it’s the unlit region that is rotating. By full moon when the sculpture is most active and most luminescent, the rotation has disappeared entirely.