Seismic Pulse

Seismic pulse makes an invisible natural phenomenon detectable through light and sound. The Earth’s crust trembles every 26 seconds in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa. The cause of the phenomenon is unknown, which leaves room for the imagination: is the pulse the Earth’s breath, its heartbeat, or something else?

The idea of the Earth’s voice led Ilkka Paloniemi to investigate radio sounds, static, Morse code, and distant transmissions received from around the world. In this work, these elements are combined with chords evoking the Earth’s harmony and laser light, which brings the geological and cosmic scales of the phenomenon into view.

Paloniemi is a light and media artist whose work centres on artificial light, lasers, and digital light. Aki Päivärinne is responsible for the sound design and Otto Suojanen for the laser programming.