RYOJI IKEDA’S IMMERSIVE SOUND AND LIGHT TRILOGY“DATA-VERSE” at high museum atl
Exhibit entrance of Ryoji Ikeda’s ‘Data Verse’ - Photo by Jonathan Dante
ATLANTA — Before its opening, viewing Ryoji Ikeda’s immersive sound and light trilogy ‘Data Verse’ was an experience. Immediately immersed in sounds, lights and contrasted visuals that seem to all flow together.
From the exhibit, Ikeda seems to want to prevent inserting meaning to what he created or steering your thoughts on the work. Simply, leaving it up for interpretation while connecting the ideas of visualizing time and space, intersecting art and technology and showcasing dualities. Each room offers a look at the journey with concepts and pieces pulled together with decades-long exploration of data; from sequences of alphanumeric symbols to collections of images of macro and microcosms. Each piece seamlessly fits into each other, encompassing the overall journey that the exhibit will take you on. Ikeda (born Gifu, Japan, 1966; active Paris and Kyoto) is one of the world’s leading composers and media artists, whose work Artnet describes as “visceral, intellectual and awe-inspiring.” His more recent work, including “data-verse” (2019-2020, commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary), incorporates open-source imagery from institutions such as NASA, CERN and the Human Genome Project. Ikeda produced “data-verse” in three “chapters,” transforming open-sourced data sets through self-written programs to create visual output, which he then synchronized and composed in arrangement with an electronic score.
“I don’t set the goal for how visitors should experience the artwork. Rather, visitors create and complete the work through their own experiences. Without their experiences, my works don’t make sense.”
The takeaway from the viewing experience was a profound sense of déjà vu in the initial room. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been here before, perhaps even experienced this particular moment before. Simultaneously, the sounds resonated with frequencies that seemed to connect with something deep within me—the writer, the poet, the artist. The concept of allowing one’s own interpretation while allowing the art to speak for itself resonates deeply within the space I create.
Furthermore, there is a compelling argument to be made for the seamless merging of mediums to create a singular narrative. Each element—visuals, audio, canvas, and images—plays a vital role and works harmoniously together.
“I tend to take a more macroscopic viewpoint towards ART instead of taking ART as the sum of segmented categories such as painting, sculpture, music, dance etc” Ikeda touched on the creative possibilities and artistic freedom.
Ryoji ikeda (Japanese, born 1966), data-verse 3, 2020, dci-4k dlp projector, computer, spealers. installation view at hirosaki museum of contemporary art, hirosaki, japan, 2022. photo by takeshi asano, commissioned by audemars piguet contemporary. ©Ryoji ikeda.
One of the most striking aspects of the exhibit is data.gram [n°7], 2025 — which features data sequences across 18 screens that are all tightly synchronized to make an ensemble of a symphonic whole as a single audiovisual installation. Sachal Jacob, who also participated in the viewing, remarked, “It's exceedingly clever. Kudos to the artist and the high museum. The visuals and sounds work together to illustrate scientific concepts. The blackhole exhibit captures density and gravity through an optical illusion. My favorite was the data verse, which made the bridged our basic perceptions of sound and light with ability to understand scale, tone and complexity.” The exhibit among viewers garnered widespread attention, with many sharing ‘this is a must see.’
Ryoji ikeda (Japanese, born 1966), data-verse 1/2/3, 2019-2020, DCI-4K DLP projector, computer, speakers. installation view in Yet, It Moves! at Copenhagan contemporary, Copenhagen, 2023. photo by david stjernholm commissioned by Audenmars Piguet Contemporary.
Michael Rooks, the High’s Wieland Family senior curator of modern and contemporary art spoke after the viewing. “His work across sonic and visual platforms will invite our audiences to rethink conventional relationships between sound and image in our tech-saturated lives.”
An interesting idea arose during the remarks, if the specific frequency curated in all of the sounds throughout the walkthrough was intentional as these sounds are seeming tied to causing reactions in specific parts of the brain — which this idea also seemed to present in data.gram [n°7].
“Ryoji Ikeda: data-verse” is now On view from March 7 to Aug. 10, 2025, at the high museum.
