Blind Spots

(2022)

Blind Spots is a site-specific cybernetic installation by Mark IJzerman and Sébastien Robert based on ultrasound and forms of communication we cannot perceive with our human ears. By tuning into specific bat species present in the Goffertpark and making them audible and visible, the installation plays with elements that are (almost) beyond the threshold of our perception, but which continuously surround us. Based on both modified ultrasound recordings collected beforehand by Sébastien and Mark and real-time ultrasound produced by bats in the nearby vicinity, the installation aims to create a multi-species audio and visual composition/dialogue between the artistic duo and their other-than-human counterpart.

Speakers placed randomly at different distances and heights in the trees will broadcast a multi-channel sound composition whose movements will be visualized by lines of blacklight LEDs suspended between them. The choice of these lights is not insignificant as they attract many insects eaten by bats. The bats will therefore be drawn towards the installation which will react, thanks to an ultrasonic sensor, to their presence which will influence both the audio and visual composition.