Between 2022 and 2024, as part of a master’s residency at the Avatar Art Center (Québec), Triska Sicuranzo Gagné explored the night as a source of poetic inspiration. Thus, a sound installation highlights the progressive loss of our connection with the sky and the stars. This research was presented at Les Productions Recto-Verso during a residency restitution (held from November 18 to 29, 2024) and a master’s final exhibition.
Considering the night as a starting point for this research, a question arises: What do you first notice when you observe the city at night?
The city manifests itself through the light it emits. Light charms, light romanticizes, light attracts swarming insects of all species, and humans are no exception. But nocturnal light also has an impact. Indeed, it is not only the light that is visible, but also the immense halo staining the urban sky: light pollution, which makes the Milky Way invisible. Triska Sicuranzo Gagné’s study of nocturnal lights and the urban night led to the creation of ‘La Petite Ourse’.
The installation
Seven serrated bells are suspended above our heads, evoking a sense of industrial violence. Illuminated from above, shadows and light are projected onto the ground, creating shapes reminiscent of the cosmos. Upon closer inspection, one can recognize the arrangement of the constellation Ursa Minor, spread across seven focal points. These hole saw-like bells resonate to the rhythm of light pollution, thanks to a programming device that analyzes the sky of the exhibition site in real-time. Varied in size but modest, the seven bells fill the space with their deep sound.
Photo credit : Triska Sicuranzo Gagné
The research
Inspired by the research of Martin Aubé, a specialist in light pollution in Quebec, Sicuranzo attempts to make light pollution perceptible. This type of pollution is only visible by contrast with its opposite, as it causes the invisibility of stars. Thus, the constellation Ursa Minor will be represented for its great symbolic resonance, evocative of a dreamlike—or even nostalgic—character, significant of our connection with the starry sky.
Programmation details on the softwares TouchDesigner and Max MSP
Using a Sky Quality Meter, a device that measures the brightness of the night sky, the artist can evaluate the presentation site’s data in real-time. The nocturnal landscape is essential to the piece, as nighttime brightness has a direct impact within the installation itself. For the artist, the sky is a place of contemplation, a place of memory. The work is grounded on earth but draws data from the stars, focusing on the space between. Since the installation uses the sky of the presentation site as a reference, Sicuranzo aims to bring out the Genius Loci among these three places.
The data collected by the Sky Quality Meter is then reinterpreted to dictate the sound rhythm of the installation, creating a symbiosis between the observation of the starry sky and the resulting sound composition. The installation’s programming allows for the random activation of the bells using software, an Arduino, and solenoids. The Sky Quality Meter is installed outside the installation, at a high point. Two computers are required for the presentation, communicating the data via a website. Finally, the presentation also requires the use of TouchDesigner and Max MSP.
The concept of randomness here is linked to the idea of losing one’s bearings. Constellations, as star maps, once served as valuable guides for sailors and fishermen. Randomness, or chaos, is thus a poignant symbol here, signifying the loss of this guide. Additionally, randomness has an entropic nature that can be associated with the stars themselves. Indeed, disorder is one of the characteristics of stars both in their formation and throughout their life: ‘they are the main sources of entropy flux from which matter extracts the information it needs to organize itself’ (Boss and Reeves, 1985, p.2). In the installation, it is the intensity of the nocturnal light that determines the sound rhythm, while the selection of the bells is left to chance.
Making light pollution perceptible
The use of emptiness and darkness refers to the vastness of the cosmos and enhances the sound aspect of the installation. To paraphrase Aristotle: ‘Why are sounds perceived better at night?’. According to Mirko Zardini, the temporary blindness from reduced light reconnects us with our other senses. In darkness, sounds are amplified, smells become more pronounced, and touch is rediscovered. Night offers an alternative way to experience urban environments. Instead of relying on sight, we can embrace the moment, forget vision, and explore other sensory experiences, making them memorable. (Zardini et al. 2005, p.44-45).
There is a synesthetic link between hearing and night, as hearing is therefore naturally associated with night. According to Espinasse, music and night share an affinity due to their connection with non-visual experiences: hearing guides us inward, towards the interior of things (Espinasse et al., 2005, p.12). It is true that night is associated with introspection, a work on oneself in our current and past culture. If night facilitates the sharpening of hearing, what sounds could be associated with light pollution?
Photo credit : Triska Sicuranzo Gagné
Allarm bells ringing
In this case, bells seem to be a wise choice. A bell serves to trigger an alert, and it is indeed time to sound the alarm, especially given recent scientific articles highlighting the urgency of the issue. A study based on 50,000 observations concludes that the invisibility of stars increases by 10% annually. If 250 stars are visible in a given location, only a hundred will be visible eighteen years later (Hayé, 2023).
Similarly, a bell is an object meant to be heard by the public. It has long been used to signify an event or a time of day, marking the passage of time. Bells ring out to announce victory, sound insistently to give an alert, chime joyfully to sing praises, and resonate slowly to mark mourning (Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism et al., 2011, p.672).
In “La Petite Ourse,” hole saws replace the traditional instrument, conveying a certain necessary violence to raise awareness of this issue, while their industrial appearance suggests a reference to urban conditions.
Crafting a constellation
The strategic placement of these bells creates an exhibition setup that emphasizes the vast emptiness around them. This thoughtful arrangement provides the public with a unique sensory experience. The sounds are not amplified, allowing the bells to resonate softly in the distance.
The delicate use of emptiness in this installation creates an atmosphere where the silence between sounds becomes as important as the notes emitted by the bells. This enables the audience to experience the depth of the work’s sonic universe. Thus, the distant cry of the stars transforms into a lost melody, changing with the viewer’s proximity.
Photo credits : Carole Siciak
This project is founded on the conviction that night is an essential, poetic aspect of life. Night is a collective heritage that we should strive to preserve.
Video documentation produced by Avatar (Québec, 2024)
Triska Sicuranzo Gagné is an interdisciplinary artist based in Quebec, deeply fascinated by nature, shadows, and light. Through an approach oscillating between poetry and critique, Sicuranzo aims to deconstruct common perceptions of our environment and organize them into ecosystems that imitate, animate, or echo reality, using sound, electronics, programming, video, and photography. Her work primarily revolves around the concept of devices, with a particular emphasis on the idea of translation or sonification. Recently, the concept of night and meteors has taken a prominent place in her creative universe.
Sicuranzo has been awarded with several artistic residencies, notably at the Avatar center, Les Productions Recto-Verso, and La Charpente des Fauves. Her works have been presented at numerous exhibitions and events, including Quebec Musiques Parallèles 2022 and the Art sonore à l’abbaye 2022 evening presented by the EXEcentrer organization.
During her college education, her work stood out, and three pieces were acquired by the public collection of Cégep Beauce-Appalaches. She won the flag contest at the School of Art at Laval University, a public art competition, and her work “L’emblème de la nordicité” was displayed on a mast at Quebec City Hall in 2022. Recently, the collective composed by Triska Sicuranzo Gagné, Juan David Molina, Samah Saidi, and Pierre Boulanger presented “Capturer l’éther: Transmutations d’influx intangibles” at the prestigious digital art festival Ars Electronica 2024, a project that received a Première Ovation grant.
Acknowledgements
Triska would first like to thank Jocelyn Robert, research director, for his unwavering support throughout the process. His expertise in digital arts has encouraged her curiosity and broadened her horizons.
She also thanks the team at Avatar: Myriam Lambert, Félix Tremblay, Guillaume Côté, and Carole Siciak. Their personalized two-year support has been fundamental for this project and has brought new insights.
Finally, Triska thanks the team at Productions Recto-Verso. Mélanie Bédard, Mélissa Isabel, Carolann Rancourt, and Arnaud De Balanda enabled her to present this project under optimal conditions.
This research was made possible thanks to a Master’s Scholarship granted by the René-Richard Foundation. This Master’s Scholarship for artist centers at Laval University is awarded in collaboration with the artist center Avatar.
References
Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism, Ronnberg, A., & Martin, K. J. (2011). Le livre des symboles : réflexions sur des images archétypales. Taschen.
Boss, A., & Reeves, H. (1985). Vie et mort des étoiles. Pour la Science, diff. Belin.
Espinasse, C. Gwiazdzinski L. & Heurgon, E. (2005). LA NUIT EN QUESTION(S). Éditions de l’Aube.
Zardini, M., Schivelbusch, W., Pressman, N., Thompson, E., Classen, C. V., Howes, D., & Centre canadien d’architecture. (2005). Sensations urbaines : une approche différente à l’urbanisme. Centre canadien d’architecture ; Lars Müller.
