New Squidsoup art installation

An artist collaborative based in the United Kingdom called Squidsoup is returning to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) to share a new installation titled “Infinite.”

Squidsoup previously housed their art in SMoCA in 2017 with their installation titled “Ocean of Light: Submergence.”

Now with the “Infinite” installation, Squidsoup utilizes light, sound and technology within randomized orbs to create an immersive art experience.

Liam Birtles, a member of Squidsoup, and Julie Ganas, the Curator of Engagement and Digital Initiatives for SMoCA, joined “Arizona Horizon” to share more on the “Infinite” installation.

“It’s almost like walking into, kind of like walking into an orchestra. So what you have is, in a very large gallery space there are about 400 light and sound units all working together. We’ve got some beautiful new sound recordings from a musician here, from Lunar Calendar, from Julz from Lunar Calendar. He’s created all these beautiful string sounds for us,” Birtles said.

Birtles also shared why he enjoys creating installation art and what sets it apart from 2D art.

“That’s one of the things that I really love about making installation art is the fact that it is, it’s art that you interact with, you walk through, you get to choose your own perspective. Rather than it being just a picture on the screen, this is, you can be there together in,” Birtles said.

At SMoCA, Ganas talked about the visitors’ reactions to Squidsoups’ art in the past.

“I think it’s important to note that, like things that are immersive, works that are immersive, it’s a draw for people because it’s a new experience. Again it’s art that you can touch and you can be surrounded by it in a different way. And with audiences today, with technology we’re so used to having technology near us that it’s familiar. But so it’s an experience that I think people are kind of wanting more of and yearning for,” Ganas said.

For more information on the “Infinite” installation and how to check it out, visit the SMoCA website.