by Phil Olarte
Borrowing the sun’s irradiance
Light and Control. S. FItzgerald. Fall 24 NYU.
In this work, I drew inspiration from Nancy Holt's "Sun Tunnels" and her exploration of celestial alignment to create an artistic expression that blends astronomy, sunlight, and time. My own fascination with the stars, often enjoyed through a telescope, and my experience with music influenced my direction. I thought, by sequencing points of light to a specific tempo, starlight could express itself, showing the timelessness of the stars and music theory together.
Using no electricity, I crafted an analog “score” and realized it with simple materials — paper, pencil, and a glittering diamond ring — to sequence light in a way that mirrors the constellation Scorpio but placed starlight on a musical staff (treble clef) in common time. I started in a different direction, but then pivoted to music as I continued to test assumptions.
The choice of a diamond ring is to bring out the brilliance of Antares, the brightest star in Scorpio. The diamond adds a coruscating effect, transforming the star into a resplendent focal point, emitting a dazzling, gleaming light that stands out against the dappled light from other points, or “stars”. Antares enormity deserved a special moment.
I started down a path of making lines to align how I would reveal a shape over time. Scoring out a reveal.
I cannot help but see staff paper…
I carry on with this initial design to test my assumptions.
A music idea pops, but I carry on.
“balance”
Lots of testing with sunlight coming in the dirty window.
Executed on building a prototype. Simple really. A cardboard box with a template of punched out points.
0:00 Calibration
1:10 Start