Audemars Piguet Contemporary unveils Ryoji Ikeda’s data-verse 3
Audemars Piguet Contemporary unveiled the conclusive chapter of Ryoji Ikeda ’s data-verse trilogy as part of RYOJI IKEDA, the largest exhibition of works by the audio-visual artist to date in Europe, curated and produced by The Vinyl Factory x Fact, with whom the artist has been collaborating for five years.
The solo exhibition, which will be on view within the vast 180 Studios space at 180 The Strand in London until 1 August 2021, will feature world premieres of several never-before-seen works and invite viewers to immerse themselves in Ryoji Ikeda ’s thought-provoking and highly-charged dynamic digital universe. The exhibition not only marks the world premiere of data-verse 3; it is the first time the complete trilogy will be shown as one since it was commissioned in 2015.
Ryoji Ikeda ’s innovative work explores the essential characteristics of sound and light by means of mathematical precision and aesthetics. The artist engages with frequencies and scales difficult for the human ear and mind to comprehend, visualizing sounds and rendering the imperceptible through numerical systems and computer aesthetics. By orchestrating sounds, visuals, materials, physics, and mathematics, Ikeda goes beyond the conceptual to delve into extremes and infinite, testing the limits of human senses and digital technology. His long-term projects have taken a multiplicity of forms, from live performances and immersive audio-visual installations to books and CDs, and have evolved over the years to encompass the latest iterations of his data-driven research.
Imagined by Ryoji Ikeda as a subterranean exploration of sound and light, the solo exhibition produced and curated by The Vinyl Factory x Fact takes viewers on a sensory journey of 180 Studios’ labyrinth-like spaces which seem to defy the building’s scale. The exhibition shows how Ikeda has transformed the way we experience art and pioneered a global movement with immersive works that push our senses to new sonic and visual extremes, challenging our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Among the twelve large-scale, multi-media artworks presented is the data-verse trilogy, a large-scale immersive work commissioned in 2015 by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, which since 2012 has commissioned contemporary artists to create new artwork that reflects the world we cohabit today. Ryoji Ikeda’s installation shows all three variations together for the first time at 180 Studios, creating a rare opportunity for audiences to see the works in harmony in an environment that is able to take on and maximize the trilogy’s scale, where most spaces cannot.
data-verse marks the conclusive chapter in Ryoji Ikeda ’s data-driven audio-visual research and aesthetics that first began in the early 2000s. It visualizes and sonifies the different dimensions co-existing in our world, from the microscopic to the human, to the macroscopic. data-verse 1 premiered at the 58th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale de Venezia, in 2019—and was notably worked on while Ikeda was an artist in residence at 180 The Strand. data-verse 2 was unveiled in Tokyo Midtown in October 2019. data-verse 3 premiered in London in a mesmerizing showing of the three variations. The trilogy’s sublime medley of bright lights, visceral patterns charging at high frequencies, and constant yet calming acoustic is positioned at the center of the exhibition and allows viewers an impactful moment of reflection on the vast data universe in which we live.
Ryoji Ikeda ’s innovative work explores the essential characteristics of sound and light by means of mathematical precision and aesthetics. The artist engages with frequencies and scales difficult for the human ear and mind to comprehend, visualizing sounds and rendering the imperceptible through numerical systems and computer aesthetics. By orchestrating sounds, visuals, materials, physics, and mathematics, Ikeda goes beyond the conceptual to delve into extremes and infinite, testing the limits of human senses and digital technology. His long-term projects have taken a multiplicity of forms, from live performances and immersive audio-visual installations to books and CDs, and have evolved over the years to encompass the latest iterations of his data-driven research.
Imagined by Ryoji Ikeda as a subterranean exploration of sound and light, the solo exhibition produced and curated by The Vinyl Factory x Fact takes viewers on a sensory journey of 180 Studios’ labyrinth-like spaces which seem to defy the building’s scale. The exhibition shows how Ikeda has transformed the way we experience art and pioneered a global movement with immersive works that push our senses to new sonic and visual extremes, challenging our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
Among the twelve large-scale, multi-media artworks presented is the data-verse trilogy, a large-scale immersive work commissioned in 2015 by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, which since 2012 has commissioned contemporary artists to create new artwork that reflects the world we cohabit today. Ryoji Ikeda’s installation shows all three variations together for the first time at 180 Studios, creating a rare opportunity for audiences to see the works in harmony in an environment that is able to take on and maximize the trilogy’s scale, where most spaces cannot.
data-verse marks the conclusive chapter in Ryoji Ikeda ’s data-driven audio-visual research and aesthetics that first began in the early 2000s. It visualizes and sonifies the different dimensions co-existing in our world, from the microscopic to the human, to the macroscopic. data-verse 1 premiered at the 58th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale de Venezia, in 2019—and was notably worked on while Ikeda was an artist in residence at 180 The Strand. data-verse 2 was unveiled in Tokyo Midtown in October 2019. data-verse 3 premiered in London in a mesmerizing showing of the three variations. The trilogy’s sublime medley of bright lights, visceral patterns charging at high frequencies, and constant yet calming acoustic is positioned at the center of the exhibition and allows viewers an impactful moment of reflection on the vast data universe in which we live.
