ALMA MUSIC BOX has been exhibited at 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (Kanazawa, Japan) from May.
ALMA MUSIC BOX is an artwork created from the ALMA observation data of R Sculptoris, a dying star at its final stage of life. The radio image of the gas emission from the star shows a circular shape, which was transformed into a musical disc by making holes at places where the observed radio intensity was strong.
Photo by Keizo Kioku
Courtesy of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
ALMA can observe a target object simultaneously at multiple frequencies. We translated the obtained 70 different radio images onto 70 musical discs, each of which has a different frequency. Visitors can hear all the 70 sound sources with an audio device displayed together with the music box. Interestingly, each of 70 discs feels like playing different sounds although their observed frequency is very similar.
Photo by Keizo Kioku
Courtesy of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
The exhibition also includes a miniature model of the Japanese 12-m antenna and receiver cartridges which are installed into the antennas to receive radio waves.
ALMA MUSIC BOX is a part of an exhibition called “In Our Time: Art in Post-industrial Japan” displaying works of artists who made impressive strides after 2000. The display of ALMA MUSIC BOX is until November 15, 2015. Take this chance to experience the art being produced in the 21st century.
Photo by Keizo Kioku
Courtesy of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
