An interactive installation. 
Data on power of X-radiation flux from the Sun is received in real time from the group of satellites (GOES -15) tracking solar activity. It is being converted into streams of sound, light and electric discharges, thus allowing a spectator to experience in more intensive and evident way the influence of the main luminary of the solar system.

The data, which is measured in watts per square meter, come from the group of satellites with a frequency of once per minute. A special computer algorithm transforms it in sound waves, distributed by 12 channels in the space. The radiation power directly controls the height of tones and spectral changes in the sound. The speed of sound displacement in the space is also dependent on these parameters. Light is generated by algorithmic transformation of X-ray emission into physical modeling of light particles, which also affect the muscle stimulators in the chair to produce weak electric discharges.

autors:

julia borovaya 

edward rakhmanov

::vtol:: 

consultant:

TESIS - Sun Investigation Laboratory

/P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences/

SOLARMAN

_Images [via](http://vtol.cc/filter/works/solarman)_

As children, our parents warned us not to look directly at the sun. Taking this to heart, artist [:vtol:](http://vtol.cc/), the gadgeteer responsible for [musical tattoos](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/artist-turns-tattoo-into-an-experimental-instrument&sa=U&ei=tn98VNveNMf1iQLVqICoDg&ved=0CAYQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGCL190HbbpT2BH7s-iEUJWeiyFpA) and [mind-controlled magnets](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/en_uk/blog/mind-controlled-magnets-move-a-fluorescent-green-pool&sa=U&ei=tn98VNveNMf1iQLVqICoDg&ved=0CAoQFjAC&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNGSSSM2V_DK8eX0pMM4xS7KFdi20g), has put together a creative workaround for this clash between caution and curiosity in _Solarman_, an audiovisual installation that immerses viewers in realtime data from the center of our solar system.

Created with frequent collaborators [Julia Borovaya](http://www.borovaya.org/), Edward Rakhmanov, and the [Tesis Sun Investigation Laboratory](http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru/en/about_tesis.html), _Solarman_ is lit by an 8 x 8 LED grid that wavers and flashes according to information from a satellite observing the sun. A 12-channel sound system immerses viewers sonically, while they sit in a chair outfitted with muscle stimulators that directly interact with their bodies, creating a fully immersive experience. The data for all these interactions comes from the [GOES15 satellite](http://www.nasa.gov/goes-p), which measures the sun's X-radiation flux in watts per square meter, before the algorithm converts it to output for viewers' eyes, ears, and body.

The data is, "being converted into streams of sound, light and electric discharges, thus allowing a spectator to experience in more intensive and evident way the influence of the main luminary of the solar system.," :vtol: writes in [the project description](http://vtol.cc/filter/works/solarman). Perhaps if _Solarman_ had been around when we were kids, our curiosity wouldn't have gotten the better of us.

See more of :vtol:'s work [on his website here](http://vtol.cc).

_[Artist Turns Tattoo Into An Experimental Instrument](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/artist-turns-tattoo-into-an-experimental-instrument)_

_[Mind-Controlled Magnets Move A Fluorescent Green Pool](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/en_uk/blog/mind-controlled-magnets-move-a-fluorescent-green-pool)_

_[Artist Creates Tiny Bluetooth Speaker That Defies Gravity](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/artist-creates-tiny-bluetooth-speaker-that-defies-gravity)_

_[Olafur Eliasson Creates A Sun You Can Fit In Your Pocket](http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/exclusive-video-olafur-eliasson-creates-a-sun-you-can-fit-in-your-pocket)_

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:vtol:'s latest installation is the only way to immerse yourself in the sun without getting burned.

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This Installation Lets You Look at the Sun Without Burning Your Eyes

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This Installation Lets You Look at the Sun Without Burning Your Eyes

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