As mentioned in our last article, there’s a really special exhibition currently on show at Store X. It’s a multifaceted affair, with the Lisson Gallery celebrating its 50th year with a monster show throughout the cavernous space, but one of the show stoppers is unquestionably Japanese artist and electronic composer Ryoji Ikeda’s piece Test Pattern.
The immersive installation throws the senses as a barrage of flickering lights and pulsing sounds hit you immediately upon entry. The light cuts through sheer darkness, beamed in powerfully from above, whilst the sound comes at you from everywhere. Initially, the incessant onslaught pushes the observer to a threshold of perception and comfort, but after a readjustment, there is an odd warmth to be found in the flicker.
Rather interestingly, whilst the work appears to be utterly random and disorganised, there is actually a very deliberate and calculated system behind it. The linear patterns of light are in actual fact generated from online data such as text, sounds, photos and movies, as well as binary code. The digital information is translated into barcode patterns at almost incomprehensible speed in real time and forces the viewer to question just how much data we take in on a daily basis.
