“Chorus” is a kinetic light and sound sculpture. It consists of an array of pendulums suspended from the ceiling of the auditorium. The concept arose from the search for a simple and unifying relationship between music, light and movement. The pendulums’ kinetic nature allowed us to create a striking, large-scale work without obstructing the view of the beautifully renovated architecture.

Mounted on each of the eight pendulums is a light and a single speaker. Together these pendulums form an instrument that allows us to explore the relationship between performance, sculpture and composition. “Chorus” is simultaneously an individual and a collective experience; every position in the space offers a new relationship with the work.

Observing the array as a whole offers a contemplative view of the carefully orchestrated performance. Standing directly under a pendulum, however, creates a more visceral experience. The sheer scale of the work is almost intimidating, and the speed of the pendulums is enough to introduce a Doppler shift in the audio as they swing past the viewer.

Each pendulum has a unique score, an individual voice; together they form an ensemble of light and sound. As “Chorus” is based on a real-world physical system, each repeated performance has subtle rhythmic variations, with no two performances being alike.

Structured in three distinct phases the music is composed by Mira Calix. Working with musicians and singers from Opera North, Mira Calix created thousands of separate recordings which she then abstracted to create the finished composition. Through its hypnotic rhythms “Chorus” invites us to focus our senses and to dissect the sources of the score and the movements within.
Arcs of light hypnotize and seduce as the rhythm of the pendulums shifts between harmony and phasing. Movement controls and transforms the relationship between sound and light, encouraging the viewer to reconsider the way they see and hear the world and how our senses are linked.
“Chorus” offers a suspension of standard time, replacing it with a mesmerizing moment, measured by the swing of the pendulum.

Music by Mira Calix; Commissioned by Opera North Projects for the opening of the Howard Assembly Room 2009; in association with The Culture Company; Originally installed at the Howard Assembly Room, Opera North, Leeds.

United Visual Artists (UK) Founded by Chris Bird, Matt Clark and Ash Nehru in 2003, UVA is a London-based art and design practice. Their work spans architectural and responsive installations, live performance and public art. They created the V&A and Sony Playstation commission “Volume”, which in 2007 won the D&AD yellow pencil for interactive installation. Recently UVA have been selected to create two major new public art commissions for Maple Leaf Square in Toronto, Canada.