RYOJI IKEDA
C⁴I
organized by Louise Simard
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
185, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest - Montréal
6/5/2014 - 18/6/2014
As part of the 2nd edition of
BIAN, the Musée d’art contemporain is pleased to present C4I, a work by Ryoji
Ikeda, one of the foremost names in minimalist electronic music.
Ryoji
Ikeda’s practice explores the rationality, simplicity and intricacy of
ultrasounds, frequencies and the essential characteristics of sound. A master of
minimalist sound, Ryoji Ikeda takes the manipulation of sonic data to the limits
of perception. In his work, the sublime blends with infinity, and the nexus of
sensations triggered by his visual and sonic compositions evokes a vast,
intangible and strikingly elegant world. – Louise Simard
Ryoji Ikeda is a
foremost figure in the field of minimalist electronic music. Born in 1966 in
Gifu, Japan, he now lives and works in Paris. Ikeda, who is a member of the
multidisciplinary artists’ collective Dumb Type, first attracted attention with
his recordings, concerts and installations in the mid-1990s, as part of the
electronica scene. In 2001 his work matrix earned him the Golden Nica at the Ars
Electronica festival in Linz, Austria, and he was shortlisted for the Worldwide
Technology award in 2003 and 2010. He works regularly with Carsten Nicolai on
the collaborative project cyclo, the choreographer William Forsythe of the
Frankfurt Ballet, the artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and the architect Toyo Ito.
Ikeda’s first major solo exhibition was held in 2009 at the Museum of
Contemporary Art in Tokyo. In 2011 Park Avenue Armory commissioned the work Test
Pattern. In 2012, at the instigation of John Zeppetelli, DHC/ART Foundation for
Contemporary Art presented Ikeda’s first monographic exhibition in North
America. Ryoji Ikeda is the award winner of the Prix Ars Electronica 2014.
C4I uses data as material and theme, highlighting the ways in which such
information shapes our understanding of the world. Video images of landscapes
are progressively abstracted into a language of data, while facts, figures and
diagrams are used in montage with dazzling graphic force. Text excerpts
elegantly punctuate the on-screen projections. Blurring the lines between
nature, science and philosophy, the work subtly suggests a convergence of the
real and the virtual. The soundtrack synchronizes perfectly with the graphical
and video images to create a piece of undeniable power and beauty. In this
highly atmospheric work, Ikeda strives for an aesthetic of pure data. Derived
from the natural world and from global systems such as economics and theoretical
mathematics, data represents a new material for the artist’s explorations. C4I,
in its meticulous composition and technical sophistication, reveals sublime
views of reality.
To extend this experience, the Musée d'art
contemporain is presenting, in its North American premiere, Ikeda's
superposition at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts, next October 11. The
superposition project is about the way we understand the reality of nature on an
atomic scale and is inspired by the mathematical notions of quantum mechanics.
Performers will appear in his piece for the first time, acting as
operator/conductor/observer/examiners. All the components on stage will be in a
state of superposition: sound, visuals, physical phenomena, mathematical
concepts, human behaviour and randomness will be constantly orchestrated and
de-orchestrated simultaneously in a single performance piece. Given its world
premiere in November 2012 at the Centre Pompidou, superposition was commissioned
by the Festival d'Automne à Paris, for its music section.
Ryoji Ikeda
was born in 1966 in Gifu, Japan, and now lives and works in Paris. A member of
the multidisciplinary artists' collective Dumb Type, he first attracted
attention with his recordings, concerts and installations on the electronica
scene in the mid-1990s. In 2001, his work matrix earned him the Golden Nica at
the Ars Electronica festival in Linz, Austria, and he was short-listed for the
World Technology Award in 2003 and 2010. Ikeda's first major solo exhibition was
held in 2009 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. In 2011, Park Avenue
Armory commissioned the work Test Pattern. In 2012, the DHC/ART Foundation for
Contemporary Art, at the instigation of its curator at the time, John
Zeppetelli, presented Ikeda's first solo exhibition in North America. Ryoji
Ikeda is the recent winner of the Prix Ars Electronica 2014 Collide@CERN.
Image: C⁴I , audiovisual concert, 2004-06 © Ryoji Ikeda. Photo: Kazuo
Fukunaga. Courtesy of YCAM (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media).
