Light and Jazz Installation by Sydney Cash

By Beatriz Areilza / January 11th, 2012 in Art / New York / 229 views

Sydney Cash is a sculptor that uses mirrors to manipulate light as if it were a solid volume. In this project with with French jazz musician Romain Collin and New York based director (and Portable contributor) Yaara Sumeruk, Cash takes light sculptures to another level by triggering interaction through music. The result is this beautiful, live Jazz music and light installation comissioned by The Falcon—a renowed music venue in Marlboro, New York.

Sydney had already been experimenting with music and light, creating some light sculpture pieces for other performances at this Jazz haven in Hudson Valley. Cash used The Falcon as his experimental studio and during the evenings, the lights of the sculpture jammed with the music. Since then, his light sculptures have been and integral element in the design of the Falcon’s Bar-room.

I thought to do it as a work-in-progress, changing it regularly. I could learn more, and it would be fun.
As the first piece was installed, I noticed that the stage outlets were attached to the light control board, and that we could vary the intensity of the lights. Then I realized that another bank of lights could show very different imagery with the same reflecting/shadow panels, and that I could fade from one set of images to the other.

Yaara Sumeruk’s film is fascinating in the same way that visualizing a jazz composition through light is fascinating. It’s a sensorial experience where all different elements of the installation come together beautifully, making us wonder if Sydney’s light sculptures and Jazz maybe were born to be together.