PHI (ϕ ≈ 1.618)

Support & thanks

In partnership and thanks to: @unframed_show, Elisa Debernardi, Est Ovest Est, Claudio Francesconi and the Comune di Pisa.

PHI is an audiovisual installation and light sculpture that explores the profound mathematical elegance of the Golden Ratio (PHI ϕ ≈ 1.618), inspired by the sequence of Leonardo Bonacci (Fibonacci). Listening to the math. A sonic and luminous exploration of PHI, the Golden Ratio, transforming number into ethereal music and light.

At its core, PHI is a mathematical music machine. The machine systematically maps the infinite digits of PHI to a soft piano melody layered over a rich ambient soundscape, composed by the artist's brother Christopher McAteer. Every sonic parameter—the note, its duration, and the velocity of the strike—is algorithmically determined by the precise numerical values within the Golden Ratio itself. The result is a composition that is both mathematically rigorous and emotionally resonant.

Within the ancient confines of the Bagni di Nerone, this musical algorithm finds its visual form. A dynamic projection across the inner walls functions as a visual analogue to the music machine, interpreting the flow and rhythm generated by the number PHI.

The experience extends outward into the surrounding space. The garden, already a Golden Rectangle in its natural layout, becomes the canvas for a minimal light drawing. A large-scale, warm-hued light sculpture renders the iconic Golden Ratio spiral, a perfect complement to the interior soundscape.

PHI invites the audience to listen to the math and witness the inherent beauty of its design.

Owen McAteer (Motus Art)
www.motus.art | @motus_art