How to give materiality to our wireless networks data in the public space?
Ombres Blanches embodies in real time the interactions with the surrounding networks, in a climatic phenomenon.
GENESIS
In the age of hyper-connection, the technologies of ubiquity generate, as an echo to a feeling of power (anticipation, optimisation), a certain form of dispossession (fear of emptiness, Fear Of Missing Out). The physical reality of the digital world also raises the question of the energetic and hydric resources needed for the manufacture and operation of these infrastructures, inherent in our daily routines (streaming videos, social networks, etc.). Today, the health crisis has further accentuated these remote practices (teleworking, videoconferencing, etc.) Read more
CONCEPT
Ombres Blanches intentionally blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction through an exploration of the invisible physical phenomenon of radio frequency waves. The invisible signals emitted by mobile phones, printers and all sorts of smart devices leave an imprint when they connect and exchange data on wireless networks. The data flows transmitted in a space appear as visual traces from an invisible dimension that gradually form and dissolve. Ombres Blanches reveals the invisible spectrum of electromagnetic waves that surround us. The installation embodies in real time the interactions with the surrounding networks, in a climatic phenomenon. Ombres Blanches projects a singular view of the landscape, through a collective, ephemeral and multi-sensory ritual.
TECHNICAL PRINCIPLE
Ombres Blanches materializes radiofrequency waves (2G/3G/4G/5G mobile telephony, FM radio, TV, etc.) in public spaces. An EXEM sensor detects the value of the ambient electromagnetic field (250kHz – 6GHz) and sends it in real time to a Raspberry Pi computer. Driven by Nerves (embedded application platform for the Elixir language), the Raspberry Pi samples the values received (in V/m) in order to control a high-pressure pump in real time. The pump generates a fog whose density changes with the intensity of the surrounding electromagnetic waves detected. The data collected are accessible online, via a graphical interface designed for a wide audience. Read More
CREDITS
Scientific collaboration: EXEM Laboratories
Scientific consultant: Arnaud Legout, INRIA Researcher
Communication protocol: Lucas Sifoni
Technical consultants: Tobias Muthesius – Lab212, Nicolas Nolibos
High-pressure hydraulic consultant: Paul Faÿs-Long
Footage: Yannick Royo
Institutional and financial support: CNC DICREAM, DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes SCAN
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