Ars Electronica Garden Galway

Aerial/Sparks :: New Reports on Waves

Aerial/Sparks and Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture (IE)

Aerial/Sparks invites you to connect with one of the last unknown spaces on earth, the ocean wilderness.

The Aerial/Sparks journey started by exploring the potential of radio communication to reimagine our relationship with the ocean. Artists, writers and composers from across Europe have produced a series of compelling sound works, inspired by their experiences of joining research expeditions on board the Marine Institute Ireland’s RV Celtic Explorer.

These expeditions have opened up unique opportunities to foster connections between art and science as artists work side-by-side with scientists who are monitoring our marine biodiversity and the impact of humans on our ocean environment.
Garden Galway presents the ship experience aboard the Marine Institute’s RV Celtic Explorer, talks by artists and scientists on their collaborations, and excerpts from acoustic and audiovisual works by participating artists.

Aerial/Sparks :: New Reports on Waves

Our garden concept makes reference to Scottish engineer John Scott Russell’s famous practical and theoretical investigations on waves and their effects on ship construction. Scott Russell discovered the “wave of translation” (giving birth to the modern study of solitons) which he described in his “Report on Waves” and developed the wave-line system of ship construction.
New Reports on Waves becomes a thematic link to the nature of waves, both watery and sonic, and how they impact on our connections to marine nature, distance, technology and empathy.
The rugged beauty of Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands and with a deep-rooted maritime culture, is the physical setting for Aerial/Sparks from 11-27 September, with sound works housed in different locations across the island.
Each work explores relations between people and places, including the visible and invisible connectors of ocean and landscape. These sonic presentations ask us how sound and radio communication might trigger a deeper sense of empathy for our environments and ourselves. As we move into a future of uncertain intimacy, how can we grow meaningful connections at a distance?

Timetable

Program

Project Credits / Acknowledgements

Created by artist Louise Manifold (IE) for the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture programme, Aerial/Sparks is an interdisciplinary art collaboration with the Marine Institute Ireland exploring radio connectivity and its relationship to ocean space. Participating artists include Ailís Ní Ríain (IE), Carol Anne Connolly (IE), David Stalling (DE), Kennedy Browne (IE), Kevin Barry (IE), Magz Hall (GB) and Robertina Šebjanič (SI). Aerial/Sparks is supported by the Commissioners of Irish Lights; Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr; Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr; and the Arts Council of Ireland Project Awards 2017 and 2019.
Partner Credits:
Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture
Marine Institute Ireland
Commissioners of Irish Lights
Áras Éanna Arts Centre, Inis Oírr
Comhar Caomhán Teo, Inis Oírr

Aerial/Sparks
Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture
The Arts Council of Ireland
Foras na Mara Marine Institute