Lawson artists David Haines and Joyce Hinterding have created a world-first event where they drop a sound from the edge of space.
Part of the Penrith Regional Gallery Gravity (and Wonder) exhibition, the new work presents vision and sound captured in the process of sending a payload with recording instruments via latex weather balloon to 33,700 metres above the earth.
At very low pressure the balloon bursts, a parachute partially deploys, and allows the instruments to rapidly descend to the earth.
On exhibition are two large format screens adjacent to each other. The screens show two edited excerpts of 16 minutes duration. One screen shows the ascent (slow and lyrical, the arc of the earth appearing); the second shows the rapid descent. This piece is particularly exciting to view as we observe the blackness of the upper reaches of the stratosphere become blue sky, and see the earth and its form grow immense.
Gravity (and Wonder) is a collaboration between the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and Penrith Regional Gallery and The Lewers Bequest.
It explores our fascination with gravity and its invisible governing of the world’s movement, the shape of space and the flow of time.
It brings together the work of leading international and Australian contemporary artists who examine gravity through their practice.
The exhibition also includes two nights of star gazing at Western Sydney University’s Penrith Observatory on October 8 and in the Gallery Garden on October 22. Full program at penrithregionalgallery.org.
