Candescence

Curious, Helmkehof, Hannover, DE, 2013
Lichtspiel, Import-Projects, Berlin, DE, 2013
+-0, Postbahnhof, Berlin, DE, 2012
Candescence, Musarc, St. Bartholomew the Great, London, UK, 2010
Candescence, Kite & Laslett Studio, London, UK, 2010


A project by Sebastian Kite & Will Laslett

Candescence is a performative light sculpture. Acoustically responsive spheres are activated by sound and touch, designed to inhabit and alter perceptions of architectural space. The installation consists of one or multiple spheres, acting in a spatial dialogue with the audience. Human interaction triggers an ascendance of vision, light and sound in a cyclic loop of which the individual is integral. Originally conceived in 2010, various iterations of Candescence have been exhibited in both off-sites and gallery spaces, each presented as a site-specific response to its context.

Each sphere is inflated to a diameter of 2.4m. Inside, a 3kw light source is suspended at the centre. The spheres can be either white or red in colour. They are suspended to a height determined by the site and conditions of interaction. The light installation can be presented either passively activated by pre-recorded sound, or actively triggered through interaction and performance. The brightness of the spheres can be controlled by volume, timbre or specific frequencies of sound. For example, Candescence can respond to the peaks in volume of a choir performing in the church; the louder or more reverberant the performance, the brighter and more active the installation becomes.