4.1ch Sound System, Projector & Computer
Dimensions Variable
55:00 ∞
Edition of 3
2010

• Stillness, Soundfjord, London UK, August 4 – September 25, 2010

Stillness takes its inspiration from the two climates Novak have inhabited: Subtropical in Los Angeles and Oceanic in Seattle. In these works he investigates these climates’ almost static meteorological states and their emotional effect on their inhabitants.

Stillness takes form as two sound and video works presented as a large scale projection and 4.1 surround sound creating an immersive experience, each changing so slowly the effect is imperceptible to the audience, thus creating a nearly static state.

To create the sound pieces, Novak made recordings of shortwave radio signal tuned to static in each location.  Because radio waves are effected by both water vapor in the troposphere and ionization in the upper atmosphere due to the sun, each recording, though similar, contains a unique signature from the atmosphere the waves traveled through. Similarly the video elements are made up of numerous photographs taken over a span of months in the case of Subtropical and years in Oceanic, always pointed at the horizon. These photographs capture a more literal portrait of these climates.  All these elements are then digitally altered to create an ambiguous abstraction, leaving enough of the source to guide the experience and define the location, but abstract enough to create an immersive environment perfect for contemplation and personal reflection.

4.1ch Sound System, Projector & Computer
Dimensions Variable
58:48 ∞
Edition of 3
2010

• Stillness, Soundfjord, London UK, August 4 – September 25, 2010

Stillness takes its inspiration from the two climates Novak have inhabited: Subtropical in Los Angeles and Oceanic in Seattle. In these works he investigates these climates’ almost static meteorological states and their emotional effect on their inhabitants.

Stillness takes form as two sound and video works presented as a large scale projection and 4.1 surround sound creating an immersive experience, each changing so slowly the effect is imperceptible to the audience, thus creating a nearly static state.

To create the sound pieces, Novak made recordings of shortwave radio signal tuned to static in each location.  Because radio waves are effected by both water vapor in the troposphere and ionization in the upper atmosphere due to the sun, each recording, though similar, contains a unique signature from the atmosphere the waves traveled through. Similarly the video elements are made up of numerous photographs taken over a span of months in the case of Subtropical and years in Oceanic, always pointed at the horizon. These photographs capture a more literal portrait of these climates.  All these elements are then digitally altered to create an ambiguous abstraction, leaving enough of the source to guide the experience and define the location, but abstract enough to create an immersive environment perfect for contemplation and personal reflection.