SKALAR – Reflections on Light and Sound

Artists Christopher Bauder & Kangding Ray  Year 2018-2020  City Berlin, Germany / Mexico City, Mexico / Amsterdam, Netherlands / Zurich, Switzerland

SKALAR is a large-scale art installation that explores the complex impact of light and sound on human perception. Created by light artist Christopher Bauder and musician Kangding Ray, this monumental artwork is a reflection on the fundamental nature and essence of human emotions.

By combining a vast array of kinetic mirrors and perfectly synchronized moving lights with a sophisticated multi-channel sound system, SKALAR offers an audio-visual narration of radiant light vector drawings and multi-dimensional sound in enormous pitch-dark spaces.

SKALAR is an intense journey through the cycle of basic human emotions. Ever-changing tonalities trigger the full spectrum of emotional experiences using light, sound, and motion. The feelings of awe, surprise, exhilaration, and anticipation of having one’s senses overwhelmed are created, explored, and repeated in cycles throughout the piece, providing a collective, yet highly individual emotional experience.

Light and darkness as endless cycles of day and night define our perception of time and influence our emotions. SKALAR is a central piece within light artist Christopher Bauder’s body of work, reflecting his deep fascination with light. In this gigantic installation, light is treated as a solid material that can be dimensionally sculpted and shaped, evoking abstract emotional associations. Intertwined with the tireless exploration of textures, rhythm, and sound design by musician and composer Kangding Ray, the silence of darkness is filled with iridescent forms of spatial light and sound.

The concept of SKALAR is based on Robert Plutchik’s psycho-evolutionary theory of eight primary emotions: anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, anticipation, trust, and joy. The combination of moving mirrors, a changing color palette, and the profound sound of SKALAR triggers sensory and psychological reactions, offering a truly innovative way to experience and feel art.

Read MoreRead Less

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.