Errant Stars
2024SITE-SPECIFIC KINETIC INSTALLATION; STAINLESS STEEL BARS, STAINLESS STEEL TUBES, LEDS, CONDUCTIVE THREADS, CUSTOM CIRCUITRY, METAL CONNECTORS, SHRINK TUBES, ALUMINIUM PLATES
Errant Stars is a kinetic light installation that maps the invisible passages of space debris objects in the night sky. Drawing inspiration from the rotational motions of the orrery, the work consists of a series of mobiles suspended in the air, each representing a major space debris producing event. Generated with open-access orbital data, it maps the clouds of debris created in the wake of these fragmentation events.
The events include the intentional destruction of Chinese satellite Fengyun-1C in an anti-satellite missile test in 2007 (the largest fragmentation event in space history); the accidental collision between the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-2251 and the operating satellite Iridium-33; and the clumping of 480 million copper dipole needles released in Project Westford between 1961 to 1963, part of an experiment to create an artificial ionosphere.
The position of every trackable object in space can be determined by its TLE data. Using a satellite tracking tool, the movements of debris objects from these fragmentation events are calculated by its TLE, visualised as lines, and interpolated over constellation charts, with the point of reference the spatio-temporal moment of the exhibition opening at sunset on 4 April 2024, in Objectifs’ Lower Gallery in Singapore.
The installation is constructed as an open-circuit, a cosmic loom. The passages of passing debris objects are woven onto the suspended circular frames out of conductive threads, and function as the warp; interwoven between these network of metal threads is a custom circuitry of metal bars and LEDs, extrapolated from patterns of the official IAU constellation, and function as the weft that completes the weave and circuit. The metallic nets are weighted with metal fragments whose shape follows the constellation boundaries, and are punched with the punched-card translation of the debris data through which the mobile is threaded.
Responding to the air movements in the gallery, the bars move freely and collide with the metal threads, closing electrical circuits which run through the mobiles, causing the LEDs to flicker on. Drawing from conjunctions, close approaches, and collisions in space, these flickers of light in darkness created by the chanced interactions between the metallic components evoke the serendipitous experience of watching the night sky, while suggesting an environment of disorder and destruction.
Installation view: K2251 and IR33
Installation view: WFORD
Installation view: long exposure that captures the motion of the metal bars and LEDs
Detail view: metal fragments punched with the punched-card format of the TLE data of a space debris object
Detail view: LED with the custom circuitry of conductive threads and connectors
CREDITS
Curator: Seet Yun Teng
Photos: Khoo Guo Jie
Fabrication support: Cut Anything
Curator: Seet Yun Teng
Photos: Khoo Guo Jie
Fabrication support: Cut Anything
EXHIBITIONS
Lucy in the Sky with Debris
Objectifs Centre, Singapore
2024.04.04—2024.04.28
Lucy in the Sky with Debris
Objectifs Centre, Singapore
2024.04.04—2024.04.28