Installation / Concept : Romain Tardy
Music Composition / Sound Direction : Squeaky Lobster a.k.a Loran Delforge
Software Development : Hand-Coded

Collaboration between visual artist Romain Tardy, composer Laurent Delforge and creative coder’s “Hand-Coded” crew, MGNTRN ( pronounced [MAGNOTRON] ), is an immersive, large-scale audiovisual installation mixing projection mapping, physical laser-cut structures used as a projection canvas, various types of LEDs, and an octophonic surround sound system to create a unique multi-sensorial experience. Believe it or not, there’s even a tiny robot physically operating the LEDs from a pretty massive Ferris wheel.

Inspired by psychedelic sci-fi references from the 70’s like Sun-Ra’s movie “Space is the place” MGNTRN invites the public to an imaginary journey through space and time. An intense physical experience with a multi-channel video setup and 8-channel soundtrack.

Both musical and visual composition structures were developed in parallel within an intricate process of back and forth exchanges between the artists on the global narration.

The name of the piece itself, MGNTRN [MAGNOTRON], comes from a space-themed pinball created by the American manufacturer Gottlieb in 1974, and illustrated by Gordon Morison, who made some of the most iconic pinball backglass drawings in the 1970’s.

Starfields, black holes, kawai characters and retrofuturistic spaceships as well as vintage arcade games are the haunting spirits of this outdoor audiovisual installation where the
sky is the limit.

This installation was developed as a site specific project for Proyecta Digital Arts and Design Festival 2014, that took place in Puebla, Mexico from the 9th to the 11th of June 2014.

About The Music :

The whole soundtrack was composed as an 8 independent channels ambiophonic piece. The spatial composition was made on location to ensure the most immersive sonic experience possible.

Besides the references to Sun-Ra’s cosmic sounds, you’ll find snippets of old anime like “Ulysse 31” or “Saint Seiya”, sharing MGNTRN’s soundscape with the blasting lazer synths, crunchy sonic textures and the punchin’ beats collages of Delforge’s dynamic piece of work.