Murmuration is a site-specific artwork that uses digital processes, light, and sound to create a dynamic audiovisual experience suspended around the exterior of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). This historic work uses networked data systems to connect over 700 orbs containing light and audio sources, creating a responsive data swarm that swirls around the building like a vortex of live data. Each autonomous unit responds to external stimuli and their environment to create an array of virtual data murmurations. The artwork cycles through three phases throughout its 24-hour loop. During the daytime, Murmuration offers a spatialized, harmonious auditory experience with digital murmurations incorporating a range of local and fictional birds flying around the piece. At dusk and dawn, the work transforms into a dynamic display of light, harmony, and disharmony as the murmuration comes to life, creating chordal waves of light and sound that flow around the building. During the nighttime, Murmuration visually shifts into a more calm, delicate cycle of undulating colors accompanied by gentle ripples of suppressed energy. Together, this ecosystem of digital forces creates a virtual aspect to the work, transforming the physical space around it.

Murmuration is a Squidsoup project commissioned for Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). Sound design by Ollie Brown and Squidsoup, with additional sonic components from Garth Paine and students at Arizona State University.

Organized by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Curated by Curator of Programming Julie Ganas. Funded in part by The City of Scottsdale and a Kickstarter campaign.

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Murmuration in the Press

The Museum and it’s first exterior exhibition Murmuration were featured on Arizona Horizon on Arizona PBS.

Art in the 48 goes behind-the-scenes with Squidsoup and SMoCA while they install the first-ever exhibition located on the outside of the Museum’s building.

You can view Murmuration at any time at twitch.tv/smoca.