Jupiter has enormous lightning-filled storms, and NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter will (among many other things) help us understand how deep into this cloud-covered planet the storms go.
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This installation for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory consists of a large cloud that hides infrared lights. Infrared light is invisible to the naked eye, but is visible to many cell phone cameras. Just as the Juno mission uses special detectors to peer through the clouds of Jupiter and reveal the depths of its storms, you can “see” lightning storms underneath this dynamic surface.
You walk into this room that represents the surface of Jupiter. You hear thunder and lightning — you don’t see lightning but you hear it. There are giant lightning storms on Jupiter. The mission is going to figure out how deep the storms go.
I put a lot of infrared lights underneath a cloud made with tap water. You place an ultrasonic mister in water and it vaporizes the water into a beautiful mist. Cellphones can pick up infrared light, and you can see the lightning storm through [the cloud with] your cellphone. The scientists came down and stayed for half an hour watching how the clouds worked.
I produced the song, Leeward, on my monome 64 grid back in 2009. It is sourced from my EP, Nowcast.
This was first shown at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, 2012
Special thanks to Justin Gier (technology development) and Jeremy Eichenbaum (video and editing).
And of course, thank you to Dan Goods for letting me be a part of this project.
