Pink Steam

Much of our fieldwork has revolved around the signals that come from the sky. The resonance of cosmic level forces in action that continually glue together the cosmos and the ground.

Pink Steam brings together the earth and sky by way of radiation expressed through cosmic rays and the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It was filmed on the Fish River, a tributary of the Macquarie Darling System in Western NSW that passes through Wiradjuri Country. Using specially modified cameras we were able to see parts of the spectrum that transmit beyond visible light.

The work’s sound comes from the real-time detection of muons, particles of energy that are the result of cosmic rays colliding with the earth’s atmosphere. The muon detectors and custom electronics were built by amateur radio astronomer Robert Hart based on an Open-Source Muon detector design. The circuit allows us to hear the presence of muon activity in the exhibition space in real-time, as the particles shower down upon us and pass through everything, like another kind of rain made of invisible energy.'—David Haines and Joyce Hinterding