Immerse yourself in Lachlan Turczan’s Wavespace: A Symphony of Water, Light, and Sound
Lachlan Turczan has spent over a decade immersed in the exploration of natural phenomena, focusing on the intricate relationships between water, light, and sound. Through his innovative installations, he invites audiences to engage deeply with their senses, offering transformative experiences that challenge and expand perception. His work continues the legacy of the California Light and Space movement, a groundbreaking artistic tradition established in the 1960s by luminaries such as James Turrell, Robert Irwin, and Helen Pashgian. Like his predecessors, Turczan creates immersive environments that encourage self-reflection and an acute awareness of how one perceives the world.
In Wavespace, Lachlan Turczan achieves a synthesis of optics, acoustics, and hydrodynamics, crafting a multisensory journey where light and sound converge through the medium of water. At its core, the artwork is a study in fractal patterns, echoing the self-replicating geometries found throughout nature. Visitors describe the projected light phenomena as evocative of solar flares, cellular structures, or other natural forms, with each interpretation reflecting the individual’s unique perspective. This variability fosters a deeply personal yet communal experience, akin to collective cloud-gazing or the shared intimacy of gathering around a campfire.
The choreographed performance begins with vibrations that ripple through water, creating cymatic waves that transform the liquid into a living lens. These waves project intricate, ever-shifting caustic patterns onto the surrounding surfaces, enveloping the audience in a dazzling interplay of light and motion. Reclining on custom-designed furniture, participants are fully immersed in the reflected patterns, their entire field of vision consumed by the fluid dance of water and light. The integration of sound deepens the experience, producing a synesthetic effect where visual and auditory stimuli blend seamlessly.
Each session begins with a brief introduction before the audience is guided into a 12-minute choreographed display, during which the dynamic interplay of elements unfolds. The remainder of the hour-long reservation allows visitors to reflect on their experience and explore the space further. By the end of the encounter, participants often report a heightened awareness of their own senses and an invigorated imagination.
Set within 821 Traction Avenue in Los Angeles, Wavespace operates Wednesday through Sunday, with ticketed performances starting at 7 PM and 8 PM. Lachlan Turczan’s work transforms the perception of art into an embodied and collective act, bridging the physical and the transcendent through water’s timeless lens.
All images courtesy of Lachlan Turczan, shared with permission
