Polyrhythmic Illuminations

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Polyrhythmic Illuminations

Polyrhythmic Illuminations

Fifteen columns of light and sound move in a mesmerizing dance of rhythm and colour. Each glowing sphere rises and falls at a slightly different tempo, triggering a unique musical note and creating an ever-changing composition of complex, layered, and beautiful sound. The visual and musical rhythms drift from perfect unison into intricate patterns and apparent chaos, before gradually finding harmony and returning together. A hypnotic meditation on patterns, cycles, and our human desire to find meaning within them.

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About the Artist

Gary Kirkham is a multidisciplinary artist based in Cambridge, creating immersive video, installation, and theatre experiences that explore light, sound, and rhythm. His work includes international collaborations with Krzysztof Wodiczko (CAFKA) and Liggy Haugue (Experiment for a Closing The Idea Exchange), video projects such as Blue Memos, Dancing Within Our Worlds, and outdoor installations NightShift and UnSilent Night. He is a frequent collaborator with The MT Space.

Rob Gorbet is a mechatronics engineer and technology artist who has exhibited collaborative works around the world. He collaborates with artists and architects to create unforgettable experiences for audiences. His work Hylozoic Ground, with Philip Beesley and the Living Architecture Systems Group, was selected to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale in 2010, and he has been a collaborator on two prior Nuit Blanche works: Aurora in 2010 and Ocean in 2016.

Matilda Pawlega and Shaan Sawrup are students at the University of Waterloo and members of the PRISM Collective, a boundary-breaking Waterloo student design team that is challenging the status quo and encouraging new forms of design and expression among STEM-oriented students.

Location
Waterloo Park (Shoreline)
ARTIST
Gary Kirkham with Rob Gorbet, Matilda Pawlega and Shaan Sawrup
artist LINKs
Artist website

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Waterloo is situated on the land traditionally cared for by the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe, and Chonnonton Peoples. We acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge and philosophies of the Indigenous People with whom we share this land today.
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