SKATE 1.0 is a sound and light installation by Electroland. It is installed at the A+D Museum in Los Angeles as part of the COME IN! 2: SURF.SKATE.BIKE exhibition. The exhibition dates are from June 14-July 24, 2011. The SKATE 1.0 installation will continue past this date.

Artist: Electroland LLC; Cameron McNall, Principal; Damon Seeley, Partner
Title of Installation: SKATE 1.0

Medium/Materials Used: 60 high output fluorescent lights with electronic dimming ballasts; 12- channel sound system; sound recordings; DMX controller; custom and proprietary software. Sylvania Lighting donated lamps and electronic dimming ballasts; Lithonia Lighting  donated T5 fixtures; Danetracks donated sound recordings.

SKATE 1.0 is an abstract virtual skate park manifested through an immersive light and sound installation. 60 four-foot HO fluorescent lights with dimmable electronic ballasts and a 12.2-channel sound system generate 300,000 lumens of pure white light attitude. Skater sounds travel above, below, around and through the viewer while the lights register their movement and intensity. Sunglasses advised.

Artist Statement: We see the SKATE 1.0 installation as an opportunity to create iterative spatial experiments, using sound and light to create an immersive sensorial experience. The only reference to a specific subject or context is sounds made by skateboards; otherwise the physical installation is extremely abstract and minimal. Skate sounds are grating and violent, and we want to investigate how lights can correspond, counter or reinforce sounds. In our installation, the violence and movement of the skate sounds is well represented by the extreme changes in light intensity and light movement, but in other ways muted by the softer qualities of fluorescent lights, which  exhibit a brief delay when turned on and a slight decay when turned off. The empty and minimal visual appearance of the installation is an interesting counterpoint to the complex skate sounds and the real-world context from which they come.

After the conclusion of the COME IN! 2: SURF.SKATE.BIKE exhibition we intend to experiment with other sounds and accompanying light movements. We think of each of our programmable installations as unique musical instruments; once created, we have to learn how to play them and extract a resonant experience.