The Lights Which Can Be Heard (2022)
Sébastien Robert (FR/NL)
The Lights Which Can Be Heard is an artistic research project on the sounds of the Northern Lights, long witnessed by various indigenous communities in the Arctic. Despite the numerous testimonies, the Western scientific community denied their existence for decades until some hypotheses about their origin began to surface in the 1950s, which are still subject to debate today. One of the theories is that an observer/listener perceives natural VLF (Very Low Frequency) radio waves produced by the Northern Lights.
Inspired by this unique context, the artist Sébastien Robert approached this ongoing debate from different angles: indigenous, poetic and scientific, giving voice to each stakeholder while incorporating his own vision. The result is three interconnected works at the intersection of visual and sound arts, technology, science and ethnography, which allow the audience to perceive the sounds of the Northern Lights while preserving them in the light.
About the artist
Sébastien Robert (he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher who develops a practice at the intersection of visual and sound art, technology, science and ethnography. He graduated with honours from the ArtScience Master between the KABK - Royal Academy of Art and KC - Royal Conservatory of The Hague in 2020, where he often lives and works.
Most of his projects revolve around a research cycle through which he explores disappearing Indigenous sonic rituals and cosmologies. He aims to translate immaterial resources into long-lasting tangible works of art made of materials that echo the traditions of the communities encountered and the geo-specificities of the territories explored.
