Transient—Cloud Chamber, a detector installation turning cosmic muons into trails of light and sound
Transient—Cloud Chamber is a project that offers a mesmerising interaction with cosmic particles, turning cosmic muons into real-time trails of light and sound, revealing the ephemeral beauty of the cosmos.
It was created by our innovators and researchers in residence Yuri Tanaka, Akitaka Ariga, and Umut Kose, together with Chris Bruckmayr, Pavle Dinulović, and Rohan Sachdeva. At the beginning of September, it was showcased at the Ars Electronica Art & Science exhibition, designed to make complex scientific concepts both accessible and engaging, and will continue to be showcased in different events.
I feel delighted that all our collaborative efforts flourished in harmony as an art installation, with the traces and the sounds of cosmic muons that poetically expressed the transient beauty of the universe. I appreciate that we could share that moment with many visitors at the festival, happily.
A cloud chamber is a particle detector that allows us to directly observe radiation with the naked eye, including cosmic muons, enabling the design of an art installation meant to transform each detected muon into a visual trail and a corresponding sound, in real-time.
How does it work technically?
A camera is placed atop the cloud chamber and connected to a computer. The traces left by the particles as their ions create condensation in the ethanol gas are parameterized by computer programming. This recognition system then makes it possible to isolate the passage of muons and generate a sound in real-time, creating a visual as well as an auditory experience for the spectator.
In this everlasting cosmic ambivalence, there is beauty to be found not only in the attempt to keep life still, but also in the hope that every passing ushers is another unstill and transient being.
The next step of this project could be to develop the recognition system and the sound system into three spatial dimensions with immersive sound systems, which would allow the exploration of deeper poetic expressions.
This special detector installation, between art and science, could then show us and make us hear a little more of the beauty of the universe.
The archive of this work and further information will be available at https://yuritanaka.net
This research is supported by Toshiaki Ogasawara Memorial Foundation, Nomura Foundation, and by JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. 24K15639.
This project is made with FMOD Studio by Firelight Technologies Pty Ltd., and uses the Unreal® Engine. Unreal® is a trademark or registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998 – 2024, Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved.
Photo credits: Akitaka Ariga, vog.photo, A. Kolb, Rohan Sachdeva