Bizarre antenna-like structures hang from the ceiling of the first room of Yung-Ta Chang's exhibition "Without Composing" at Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM; on until tomorrow).
There's an odd hum in the air: it's like a peculiar, sizzling background noise, making you wonder if it's an alien ship trying to communicate with Earth or just random interference. Maybe it's all a figment of your imagination, a sign of the daily grind taking its toll on your brain.
However, you soon realize the elements hanging from the ceiling aren't actually antennas, but something more scientific, they are indeed Geiger-Müller tubes, also known as G-M tubes.
These tubes are the detectors used in Geiger counters to spot ionizing radiation, and they're named after their inventors, Hans Geiger and Walther Müller.
During a residency in Japan after the Fukushima disaster, Chang became captivated by the presence of particles that permeate our world.
Radiation is indeed all around us, though not as strong as in a nuclear power plant - it can come from the Earth's crust or from distant cosmic rays. Our bodies are continually traversed by rays from the depths of the universe, which vanish quickly. In this exhibition, various devices detect these fleeting and invisible signals, transforming them into vibrant soundscapes.
"Without Composing" uses Geiger counters to detect cosmic rays, rare earth elements with traces of radioactive substances, and ores, which are then digitized.
The data takes on roles similar to those of an artist, composer, and programmer, participating in the creative process. Integrated into machine-learning programs like the Markov Chain algorithm and FluCoMa, they're developed into a series of audiovisual installations where tempo, rhythm, or melody aren't determined by the artist but by waves that have traveled vast distances, sometimes over several million light-years.
In the first room of the exhibition, featuring a soundscape titled "Without Composing_n°6," and in four other rooms, Yung-Ta Chang crafted a series of symphonies using Geiger-Müller tubes, Geiger counter modules, microchip controllers, and computers.
For "Without Composing_n°5," the artist even integrated minerals like allanite and zircon into his work. Some of the sounds are also turned into images that at times call to mind Bruno Munari's 1946-47 installation entitled "Concavo-Convesso" (Concave-Convex), with its abstract structure made with a square metal net.
"Without Composing" can therefore be considered as a collaboration between cosmic rays and the artist, allowing visitors to hear the inaudible and connect with the infinitely distant.
The artist relinquishes control over their creation to intangible radioactive particles, including cosmic rays and background radiation from space, which move, decay, and fade in unpredictable and random ways.
Randomness is a key element in these installations, as it draws on physical energies and data from everyday surroundings, serving as variables that influence decisions made in the creative process.
The final question arises: have these intangible and invisible radioactive particles and cosmic rays become unpredictable disturbances or co-creators?
The decision ultimately rests with the observer, but the outcome is undeniably fascinating and mesmerizing as it underscores the entrancing dynamic between the forces of the cosmos and artistic expression, reminding us of the limitless possibilities that arise when we open ourselves to collaboration with the intangible and the invisible.
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