Tilen Sepič: Cosmic Rain
interactive lighting installation
Mala gallery at the Bank of Slovenija
24th May–19th June 2021

This light and sound installation consists of a wire mesh and devices that connect luminous and kinetic elements to space particle detectors. When muons hit these detectors, built after the model of the open-source Cosmic Watch (MIT) project, a microcontroller triggers flashes of light and movement of electromagnets that create sound. Muons are invisible particles that form in the upper crusts  of Earth’s atmosphere when it’s hit by cosmic rays – high-energy particles that originate from the depths of space. They are basically pairs of elementary particles with a positive and a negative electric charge and with an extremely short decay time. These particles can pass through anything, only objects the size of our planet can stop them. The spatial layout communicates with an abstract and minimalist vocabulary that attempts to visualize an otherwise invisible natural phenomenon. It thus grants the viewer a sensory experience of physical and cosmic events that are all around us but are inaccessible to our senses.

TILEN SEPIČ is a multidisciplinary designer and intermedia artist, self-employed in culture. He’s mostly active in the fields of product design, light design, interactive studio photography, experience design and interactive installations based on light and sound. He’s a staple at the Lighting Guerrilla festival for which he’s created many original projects (Tilt, Light Oscillator, Clouds etc.) that were presented in several partner festivals abroad as well. He occasionally also mentors workshops of the Lightning Guerrilla Laboratory.

Electronics and programming: Luka Frelih, Gregor Krpič, Staš Vrenko, Brane Ždralo

Gallery opening times: Tue – Sat: 14.00 – 19.00

Coproduction: Ljudmila Art and Science Laboratory; University of Ljubljana