a|rp|ay

Both light and sound are intangible; you can hear and see both, but you can grasp neither. In a|rp|ay, you discover these two elements in harmony. One fuels the other, with the audience as the musician.

Nineteen beams of light come together to form gigantic wind chimes. That’s not very common. Normally, when you touch a beam of light, your hand passes through it into emptiness. With a|rp|ay, you don’t need to be musically inclined; you can play this enormous instrument without any knowledge of notes. And even if you do nothing, the air moves the light beams, creating sounds: a musical piece emerges. However, a|rp|ay truly comes to life when you play it together with your neighbor. You discover surprising harmonies and melodies when you set the beams in motion and bring them into contact with other beams, the environment, and other people. The uniqueness of a|rp|ay is that you, together with your fellow visitors, create something, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It will always be different, depending on who makes the next move.

Perhaps you’ll recognize other works by Philip Ross through a|rp|ay as well. During GLOW 2018, you could play with Gibson searchlights, and in 2021, light beams danced around you during Ballroom. Light beams were always the foundation in these works of Philip Ross, where the dynamics of visitors, their interaction, and the context always yielded different results.

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About the artist

Philip Ross

Philip Ross operates on the premise that light inspires people to take action. He strives to create environments with light that support values such as creativity or harmony among people and between humans and nature. In his studio, Studio Philip Ross, he combines insights and techniques from art, design, and science. This results in new amalgamations, as seen in the light artwork a|rplay. “I draw a lot of inspiration from the urge to discover and learn: How can light create something between people, and how can you shape technology into something simultaneously new and familiar?” Philip Ross is trained as an industrial designer at TU Delft and as a researcher at TU Eindhoven. He is also involved with the GLOW Academy, where he serves as a mentor for students participating in GLOW.

Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023. Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023.Projects. 2023.

Projects. 2023.