Celestial Sound Cloud is an interactive digital sound and light sculpture inspired by Cosmic Clouds and Nebulas – clouds of dust and gases in which stars are formed. It is currently 5m x 5m x 2m depth, hung above the audience. Within this five linked pods house motion sensors and Arduinos firing co-ordinated light sequences in a system of fibre optics and LEDs and separate elements of beautiful vocal chords as the audience move beneath. 

The Structure itself has recently been completely rebuilt in a beautiful swooping mirror layered material which sits elusively and tantalisingly in its environment – importantly allowing it to be effective in day time as well as at night. 

The piece provokes the audience of strangers to come together and learn to interact with the sculpture and one another by singing, moving and dancing underneath creating their own visual experience and soundscape. 

CSC was originally commissioned in 2016 by Kendal Calling. The design built upon lead artist Eleanor Hooper’s work at LISPA and her recorded voice makes up the sound track. Audiences filter in and out of the space creating new groups, moods ebbing and flowing and a creating a sense of beauty, discovery and the creation of a special space. 

The piece is very much a partnership between director Eleanor Hooper and technologist Kyle HIrani.  We continue to research how audiences and voice react with the installation and how we can exploit the technological potential for the structure to be spread over multiple square kilometres of urban or rural environment.   

The structure has been created with CNC technology making the creation of many more of the interactive pods realistic – creating a very real nebula.