TWINS

1998
Permanent outdoor sculpture. Churchill Square, Brighton

This permanent sound and light sculpture was commissioned by Standard Life Insurance Company. Sounds emanating from it, and images etched into its granite and bronze surfaces are derived from graphs produced by weather patterns specific to its location which were produced over the full year prior to the work`s installation. The gentle sounds are produced by solar-controlled electronic devices which attatch to the bronze panels, causing them to produce sound. The piece is at its loudest on bright, sunny days. At night, a light shines from within the sculptures, to produce two star-shapes which cover the floor of the piazza.

‘Twins’ is a public sculpture which emanates sound triggered by solar sensors and generated from the burn-mark arcs shown which were converted into digital information to produce audio files. The burn marks are part of a series of sun-generated drawings which are totally random and link to Hooker's current collaborations with meteorologists based at the University of Reading and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen. These drawings can be set up to generate burn-mark arcs ‘live’ – either outside or near a window, using specially-prepared flame-proof material. They are based on an instrument which have been in everyday use by meteorologists since Victorian times, called a ‘Sunshine Recorder’.

For more information on TWINS, go to WORKS ON PAPER