Sound and visual artist will discuss new installation at Martin House

Innovative sound and visual composer Olivier Pasquet will discuss the architectural and musical contexts of his evolving site-specific piece for the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion at the Darwin D. Martin House Complex, titled “Lloyd’s Mirror,” during its premier at 7 p.m. on Feb. 12.

Commissioned as part of Pasquet’s residency in UB’s Creative Arts Initiative, “Lloyd’s Mirror” uses speakers and lights facing each other across the pavilion’s space. Sight and sound mingle to produce a developing rhythmic, non-looping, musical score generated by Pasquet’s moving light composition.

“This can be conceived as an installation or as a performance,” Pasquet explains. “There will be two modes for the piece: one idle installation and another performative mode with more events and a smilingly timeline. Visitors can enter and leave whenever they want — and the fact that the piece is generative means the idea of a fixed timeline is free.”

Pasquet encourages guests to revisit “Lloyd’s Mirror” to experience how it changes over time.

“Lloyd’s Mirror” officially opens at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, just before Pasquet’s talk later that same night. The installation is open from 5:30-8:30 p.m. through Feb. 16. Pasquet will be available throughout that entire period to engage with guests.

Pasquet composes with both sound and visuals, straddling mediums that reflect his interest in patterns and form. Working mostly on electronic pieces in fields such as opera, theater, dance and music, Pasquet says his art, which often involves collaboration, can be presented in conjunction with or within specific performances.

“My work involves architectural aspects,” he says. “This means not only the building’s design, but its location, form and the social aspects of the space.”

Pasquet calls “Lloyd’s Mirror” a classic experiment in optic interferometry, a technique using waves, such as light, to coax otherwise random interference into specific designs.

The installation and performance reflect the historical, structural and infrastructural contrasts expressed by the bold horizontal lines of Wright’s prairie-style masterpiece and the modern glass Greatbatch Pavilion, designed by Toshiko Mori.

“I was inspired by the contrasts of the pavilion and the house in its structural and formal aspect with its orthogonal aspect: the importance of the horizontal against the vertical,” he says. “Progress on materials, computational design and a century of cultural changes enhance Wright’s style with newer designs. For her Greatbatch Pavilion, Mori made the right choice to confront the Martin House with ‘today,’ using glass while keeping with Wright’s same philosophy.”

The CAI is a university-wide initiative dedicated to the creation and production of new work upholding the highest artistic standards of excellence and fostering a complementary atmosphere of creative investigation and engagement among students, faculty, visiting artists and the community.

Through its Artist-in-Residence program and its innovative, interdisciplinary offerings for students, CAI is raising the profile of UB and Buffalo in the world of artistic expression and revitalizing the initiative’s proud tradition as a leader in contemporary art.