SOLAR RADIO STATION: RT-32
The live installation is a collaboration among the artists of RIXC (LV) and r a d i o q u a l i a (NZ), Clausthome (LV) musicians, and VIRAC - Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center (LV) scientists.
Realtime scanning of Solar system's objects is performed in Irbene, Latvia using former military antenna RT-32 of VIRAC radiotelescope. The signal is downsampled to audible frequency and transmitted live via the Internet. The artists' team in Dortmund is turning the noise from the space into realtime sound modelling performance and live video mix which stands as an integral part of the live installation.
1. RT-32
The antenna of Irbene radiotelescope is fully steerable, rotating
paraboloid 32 m across. It has high surface accuracy, it may operate in the
centimeter and millimeter ranges.
RT-32 is a Cassagrain reflector antenna: the dish reflects radiowaves to
the hyperbolic secondary mirror and then back to the center, where the
secondary focus receives and amplifies the signal for processing.
2. RECEIVERS
A receiver for 12 GHz is used to receive the analogue radio signals from
the observed sources, which then - by using a system consisting of several
frequency converters and filters - is downsampled to audible frequency.
3. LIVE STREAM
The sound signal of realtime observations is encoded into live mp3 stream
and transmitted via GPRS modem to the Internet.
4. REAL-TIME PERFORMANCE
Clausthome musicians are modeling realtime stream from the radiotelescope
and turning it into live Solar soundscape.
Project team:
Installation in Dortmund:
- "RT-32. Acoustic Space Lab": Raitis Ðmits, Rasa Ðmite, Martins Ratniks /
RIXC
- "Spetrosphere":
- "Radioastronomy Listening Station": Adam Hyde and Honor Harger / r a d i
o q u a l i a
Live performance in Dortmund and online: Lauris Vorslavs, Ģirts Radziņš / Clausthome and VJ MR / F5.
Technical solutions and coordination in Irbene Radiotelescope: Dmitry
Bezrukov / VIRAC, Signe Pucena, Agnese Rucina and Dāvis Bojārs / RIXC
Support: State Cultural Capital Foundation, Hartware MedienKunst Verein.
