The Very Large Array

The Very Large Array is a sonic sculpture consisting of a large number of independent sound sources. Unsynchronized in time but correlated in semantic content, the VLA modules provide a rich sound field in which the human listener's impoverished aural fovea displays unexpected ability. Activated by darkness, the VLA's audible landscape alternates with daylight's visual one - the listener is an active participant in this landscape, traversing the perpetually changing sonic gradient in search of the most pleasing mixture.

VLA Sightings:

• The VLA first occured at Burning Man '97, two minute's walk into Hualapai Playa from Campo Illuminato, the northernmost campsite.
• The VLA occurred again, briefly, at Davenport Beach on the evening of October 5, 1997.
• The mini-VLA (36 devices in a 6x6 array) was tested in a meadow near UC Santa Cruz on November 1, 1997.
• The mini-VLA was installed at Garfield Square Park in San Francisco for the Día de los Muertos celebration on November 2, 1997.
• A 4x4 micro-VLA was tested at Black Rock, July 4 1998.
• A new configuration, consisting of 4 4x4 micro-VLAs around a central 6x6 mini-VLA appeared at Burning Man 1998, off of South 20th St and Outer Ave. I took very few photographs this time - if you have an image you'd care to share, please send me mail.
• Twelve VLA modules participated in a geometric exposition featuring 73 oil lamps at Burning Man 1999. Pictures of this exposition can be found (among others) at http://www.antfarm.org/~aaronf/bman99/bman99.html; pictures of the prototype, tested on July 4 1999, as well as a description of the geometry involved are at http://www.antfarm.org/~aaronf/id99/td.html.

Technical notes for the curious.