Medusa, directed by scientist Yoyo Munk, was an ambitious project developed by media collective Tin Drum in collaboration with architect Sou Fujimoto. Bridging art, science, music, and technology, it comprised a unique and evolving mixed reality experience that enveloped visitors within a new realm of physicality, visuality, and sound.
Viewed through optically transparent glasses, Medusa imposed thousands of hanging vertical columns onto the Main Hall of Pioneer Works, responding to the collective behavior of the space’s visitors. The experience was paired with a soundscape that paired underwater recordings with a chord progression, composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto and recomposed with new layers and melodies by Kelly Moran, which emanated from the Disklavier piano. Mina Tavakoli writes, “As they shared the same space, Moran split herself, feeding among his work in portions. There was no aroma of servitude, but kinship; not quite friendship, but a shared, deliberately directionless pursuit.”
This project is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology, bridging the two cultures of science and the arts.
Subscribe to Pioneer Works: kzread.info...
More from the Science Studios: • Science
Read more on the Pioneer Works Broadcast: pioneerworks.org/broadcast