Pepa Ivanova: An echo of the Sun

Pepa Ivanova, PhD in the Arts

In this PhD I will question not our dependence on the Sun but how the advance of scientific methods brings detailed information relating to our interconnected existence. My translation of radio-astronomy data from the Sun through analogue and digital art methods will thrive on historical and contemporary records of solar activity and its influence on the Earth’s evolution. I will develop an interdisciplinary network for art, science and technology to interact.

In opposition to the growing big data anxiety today, this PhD will explore how scientific observations can be shaped into accessible stories though light, sound and numbers. I will propose scenarios for how to diminish the alienation between scientific languages and society through art.

While Russian cosmists link solar events with evolution, politics, history, and even human emotion, I clarify the Sun-Earth correlations by comparing rhythmic patterns within data observation. I will develop a performative installation to picture the entire image of light on Earth into a feedback loop of solar observations, recorded soundscapes, luminescent organisms on Earth, and artificial light sources. To sonify the Sun I am composing ‘Solar Symphony’, a multichannel sound piece containing multiplied rhythmic soundscapes.

Supervisors:

• dr. Esther Venrooij (supervisor, KU Leuven/LUCA)
• dr. Stefaan Poedts (co-supervisor, KU Leuven)

Research Unit: Image

Duration: 2019 - 2023