Li-Fi

Ross Manning’s Li-Fi is an audio assemblage that underscores the hidden digital frequencies that permeate our environment. The artwork performs a sonification of the electromagnetic transmissions and intangible digital conversations between machines—from Wi-Fi, 5G, fiberoptics, and code systems to machine language. The artwork is named after the experimental technology Li-Fi which is a wireless communication platform that uses light to transmit data between devices at high speeds—functioning like Wi-Fi for the end user or machine.  Manning’s LiFi appropriates this process translating light into sound in real time. Flickering LED’s rotate in an infinite loop on top of turntables, with each circulation receptors capture the modulating lights as electromagnetic frequencies—translating this data into sounds that are played on the horn speakers. Chance compositions emerge as the LED’s modulate and the turn tables phase in and out of synchrony. In the context of this audio-visual installation the candle-like flickering of the lights supply a constant stream of data. The horn speakers which are typically used for broadcasting of information or instructions in public spaces now elucidate the language of Manning’s machine.