Dark Energy was commissioned by the festival pyramidale #14.
The piece was premiered in July 2015 at the gallery center Pyramide in Berlin-Hellersdorf.
In September 2018 Dark Energy was performed at Deutsches Hygiene Museum in Dresden as part of the multi media performance "Atem der Nacht" (The Wetware Trombone) together wit the dancer Iris Sputh.
video recording of the performance in 2018 at Deutsches Hygiene Museum Dresden
(Iris Sputh - dance and interactive control, Andre Bartetzki - composition, electronics)
video recording of the premiere from the festival pyramidale #14 in 2015
(Kazue Ikeda - dance and interactive control, Andre Bartetzki - composition, electronics)
The observed accelerated expansion of the universe is contradictory to the assumption that after the big bang the expansion of the universe should actually slow down due the gravity effects of both visible and dark matter. The hypothetical dark energy which could be causing this acceleration would then account for about 70% of the total energy density in the universe while the visible matter contributes only less than 5%.
It seems to be impossible to measure this dark energy directly - thats why it is called 'dark' - and at the moment one can only speculate about its nature. One possible explanation of what dark energy actually is could be found in quantum physics and its concept of a vacuum energy, a very small positive energy of the otherwise empty space which "out of nothing" permanently creates pairs of particles and antiparticles who annihilate themselves immediately.
All sounds in this piece are generated in realtime with SuperCollider. A number of impulse generators, square- and sine-wave oscillators, delays and feedback circuits are controlled by the dancer equipped with a wireless 3-axis motion sensor and the live electronics operator with a MIDI controller. According to a prepared schedule the movements of the dancer initiate sounds, change their quality and density or modulate sine waves whereas the global sound development as well as the sensitivity of the motion sensor and thus the strength of the influence of the dancer to the sound is controlled by the live electronics operator.