Visitor

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
- Martin Buber

Winner: Prolight + Sound Opus Immersive Sound Award

Visitor transforms real-time cosmic phenomena into a spectacular cascade of light and sound across a large-scale architectural structure.

Muons — subatomic particles born from cosmic ray collisions in the upper atmosphere — have travelled millions of light years from black holes and exploding stars before arriving, unannounced, in the room. A single bespoke detector hangs at one end of a structure, connected to an LED wire trailing into the installation above.
When a muon passes through, it releases photons.
The detector catches them, and concerts the energy to sound and light.

What follows is immediate and visceral. A fuse effect ignites along the LED wire, racing up into the structure. Then the explosion: a fast lighting chase fires across the full length of the installation; brightness, colour, and the character of the sound all dictated by the energy of that specific particle at that specific moment. High energy means blinding light and overwhelming sound. Lower energy means something quieter, more fleeting. 

There is no intention behind a muon's journey, no awareness, no destination, indifference. It simply arrives, after millions of light years, in this room, at this moment. Visitor asks what it means to witness the end of a journey that had no traveller. And then, in answer: a single invisible particle detonates an audiovsiaul cascade
The smallest imaginable thing triggering the largest possible response.

Eight channels of spatial audio are distributed along the length of the structure, so sound moves with the light.
The piece has no fixed duration and runs continuously, governed entirely by the rate and energy of cosmic ray arrivals in that location, at that moment.

Visitor is a site-specific work, designed to adapt to any long-format venue or architectural structure; the longer the span, the more dramatic the effect.
The concept can be altered into a concentric formation for smaller spaces.

AWARDS

2025 Prolight + Sound Opus Immersive Sound Award Winner

CREDITS

Concept, sound design and production – Christo Squier
Creative Technology – Chris Ball
Lighting Design – Chris Ball and Christo Squier

With thanks to Magna Science Adventure Centre, Rotherham City Council and Arts Council England.