Resonance In Light

Aaron Taylor Kuffner, John Parts Taylor, Mark C. Slee, Joseph Martin, Pitaya, Luminous Waveforms

Heron Arts is pleased to present the third iteration of Resonance in Light, again with a mix of new and returning artists. Resonance in Light is exploration of sound and light through The Gamelatron Project by Aaron Taylor Kuffner, with returning artists JoeJoe Martin, John Taylor and Mark C. Slee. This year we are excited to welcome French light artists Pitaya to the roster, as well as Luminous Waveforms, the collaborative art practice of Phil Spitler and Victoria Mara Heilweil.

Viewers will see new and exciting works from the artists above. An entirely new Gamelatron installation will be dispersed throughout the space. Mark C. Slee returns with a large scale volumetric piece, site specific to Heron Arts featuring new musically responsive animation content. Pitaya will present wall-sized reactive light works. Luminous Waveforms present a parametrically designed, sculpted wall installation that explores the beauty and movement of waves through the mediums of clear acrylic and a custom designed light score, inviting the viewer to contemplate the fluidity and energy of the natural world. Finally, JoeJoe Martin will once again be using analog technology to bring Resonance in Light.

Resonance In Light is an experiment in meditative immersion sonically anchored by Gamelatron Viaoro, which features 44 uniquely tuned gongs and metal phones, starting in the 30 hz range and spanning across 6 pitch registers on 10 free standing sculptures. The artists join Kuffner in the creation of an interactive environment where the aural tones of this Gamelatron influence the various light-based sculptures.

A Gamelatron is a sound-producing kinetic sculpture presented as site-specific installations and stand-alone artworks by Aaron Taylor Kuffner. Gamelatrons are made from bronze and iron instruments derived from Indonesia’s thousand-year-old sonic tradition Gamelan, retrofitted with mechanical mallets on sculptural mounts. The pieces are connected to a physical computing system that transcribes digital compositions into an array of electrical pulsations that results in a ghostly musical automaton.

Aaron Taylor Kuffner is an American-born conceptual artist, based in New York. Kuffner’s dynamic work reaches far outside conventional forms of representation: it actively engages its audience and pushes art to serve society. His pieces often take the form of multi-year projects that require in-depth research, collaboration with field experts, and the development of new specialized skill sets. Each project provides unique conceptual tools that further the evolution of consciousness through the experience of beauty and the sublime.

For John Lawrence Taylor, a lifelong career of infusing technology into sculpture began in 1998 with a trip to the Black Rock Desert where cross-disciplinary arts flourished with the help of like-minded creative technologists. The works presented at Heron Arts are an exploration of light-based sculpture that resonates with the parasympathetic nervous system by way of patterns and motions that can be found in nature.

Mark C. Slee's visual art is built around structured systems of addressable LED lights. Drawing on a background in computer programming, he develops algorithmic patterns inspired by both organic and mathematical process, employing procedural motion, subtle variation, and evolving shifts in form and hue. The work deliberately avoids tropes of dystopian futures or mechanistic expressions of technical function. Rather, Slee explores the nuanced boundary where light exudes a vibrant personality, transforming perception into meaning. The meeting of the natural and synthetic worlds is a space of imaginative exchange — a vivid experience that tickles both mind and soul. These artworks are powered by custom software Mark has developed called Chromatik (formerly LX Studio).

JoeJoe Martin is an artist and Computer Engineer living in Brisbane, CA. After working as a software engineer in the wireless industry for a decade he moved on to a more fulfilling career using his technical skills and passion for aesthetics to bring life to art installations and experiences across the world. He has provided custom circuitry and systems design to some of the most loved and influential artworks of Burning Man and has thrown photons at many iconic buildings as a Technical Director at Obscura Digital. His own artworks often explore and juxtapose the digital and organic, and have been shown in galleries in Atlanta, Austin, Cape Town, Oakland, and San Francisco, as well as the Jacksonville MoMA in Florida.

For over 20 years, Pitaya, led by artists Arnaud Giroud and David Lesort, has been illuminating spaces worldwide with their innovative public installations. These installations, known for merging artistic ingenuity with technical expertise, represent the group's deep commitment to experimentation and creative exploration. Their latest masterpiece, 'the planets,' evolves from the 'Planétoïde' series showcased at Lyon's Fête des Lumières from 2021 to 2023. This piece, a highlight of their U.S. studio's work, is realized through the custom software developed by executive producer Vincent Guerrieri, embodying their vision of light as an expressive and environmentally integrated medium. More of their work on www.pitaya.fr and retail pieces available in California on www.pitaya.art.

Luminous Waveforms is the collaborative art practice of Phil Spitler and Victoria Mara Heilweil. Bringing fine art and creative technology together, they produce experiential works of art incorporating innovative technologies in the design, fabrication and aesthetics. Luminous Waveforms projects have been exhibited at the Napa Lighted Arts Festival, Oakland Immersive Arts Festival, California Academy of Sciences, Autumn Lights Festival in Oakland, Maker Faire, Jonathan Carver Moore Gallery and San Francisco City Hall. Spitler and Heilweil have also produced public artworks for the Wonderspaces Permanent Collection, Los Altos Public Art, the Temple of Direction at Burning Man and a large scale commission for the J. Resort in Reno, CA. When not working on new and exciting Luminous Waveforms projects, Heilweil is a lens-based artist and independent curator, and Spitler is a Creative Technologist and partner at Bonfire Labs, a boutique content creation company in San Francisco.