What does light sound like?

Three spinning solar panels stretch beneath a fluorescent lamp, generating audio directly from light.

As they rotate, they vary how much light they receive, shaping the sound into pulses, tremolos, and spectral textures. At lower speeds, this creates rhythmic fluctuations in volume; as speed increases, sidebands begin to emerge. Each panel’s motion responds to the others, their signals interfering and modulating one another.

Sol I draws sound from the artificial light we take for granted, revealing it not as mere utility, but as expressive material—shaped by movement, time, and space.

Made in collaboration with Daniel Lythgoe
https://lythgoe.studio/sol-i/