You must see SKALAR for yourself to truly experience its magic.
The large-scale immersive art installation, created by German light artist Christopher Bauder in collaboration with electronic music producer Kangding Ray, merges movable mirrors with reflective light and dynamic audio to evoke a range of emotions in the viewer. The dark space and hazy atmosphere give the experience an otherworldly touch.
Walking in, no one knows exactly what to expect.
Through the Library Street Collective and Bedrock Detroit, the show is currently on display downtown at 1001 Woodward Ave. This is the first time the exhibit has been shown in the United States, following showcases in Berlin, Zurich, Mexico City, Amsterdam, and Riyadh.
Detroit however, holds a special place in the artist’s heart.
As a lifelong fan of techno who has always been intrigued by the visual side of electronic sound, Detroit’s music scene has inspired the way Bauder creates his pieces.
“I grew up with techno music in Berlin, of course, in the ’90s and that techno scene was fueled by all the DJs and the creators, the music composers, from Detroit,” Bauder says. “What we still have in Berlin today, which is the minimal techno trend, that’s music coming from Detroit and that’s why I always was very curious to actually be there and see this environment and see where this all came from.”
SKALAR fittingly opened in Detroit during the Movement Music Festival, and that weekend, Bauder visited Detroit for the first time ever, recognizing similarities between Berlin and the Motor City.
“I found it very interesting to see that Detroit today resembles very much Berlin in the ’90s,” Bauder says. “There’s a lot of opportunity coming from the trouble of the past. There’s a lot of empty space in Detroit that’s now used to kind of be rejuvenated and redeveloped and so on and there’s a lot of space for culture and art and music to grow. I think there’s a really very strong connection in both directions between Berlin and Detroit.”
In SKALAR, Bauder uses bright and dim lights of various colors to portray human emotions such as fear, anger, and happiness. As viewers sit, lay, or walk around the exhibit, they are offered a moment of reflection and meditation.
“I’m trying to kind of move you through a series of those emotions in a way that you kind of forget with what kind of background or thoughts or mood you came into the exhibition,” Bauder says. “When you leave the show, in the best case, you’re in a totally different state than the one you came in. But which state that is, I don’t know. It depends on the individual visitor.”
Bauder adds, “For me it’s important that these are life experiences that I’m creating. You cannot buy my art pieces or collect them, they’re not made for that. They’re meant to be exclusive experiences that you have to go and see for yourself.”
Already a fan of his work, Bauder first crossed paths with SKALAR’s sound composer, Ray, at a festival years ago and proposed a collaboration. When the partnership happened, Ray created the entire album for the show within two weeks.
“The music was so fantastic. When I first listened to it, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s that's totally it,’” Bauder says. “He kind of nailed these different emotional states on the musical side really well and then we tried to match that with visual ideas and went back and forth.”
Bauder is proud of the collaboration. “I still think SKALAR is maybe the most complete show that I did so far concerning the connection between the visual and the music,” he says. “I think it’s actually really strong and works well together and it’s also kind of timeless. When I saw it again in Detroit, I still wouldn’t change anything about it.”
The artist says he first connected with Library Street Collective nearly five years ago, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a show wasn’t able to happen until now. When he saw a picture of the downtown space around a year and a half ago, he immediately was on board.
“I like spaces that have a kind of architectural texture or history where I can play with the room, the same way how in Detroit, it was an old bank building, so you have the marble columns in the space and the structure of the floor and so on,” Bauder says. “It’s always hard to find a space that has some kind of a character that we can work with.”
In other cities where SKALAR has been shown, it has been a tradition to have live performances in the space and bring a Berlin-style party to the exhibit. While there’s nothing like that planned for Detroit yet, we’re hoping it happens.
“The live show part is always kind of an enhanced version of the exhibition and more like ecstatic, more like a concert-style experience where we are pushing the electronic music aspect a little bit further and partying more,” Bauder says. “We’re always trying to bring a little party with us.”
Besides SKALAR, Bauder has multiple shows touring the world, keeping the artist busy. He emphasizes that his shows, including the current one in Detroit, are for everyone — regardless of age, education, or interest in electronic music.
“It really works from small children to older people,” he says. “It’s not specifically tailored to a certain taste or background or something, so it’s really for everyone to experience.”
SKALAR is open to the public until July 28. Admission is free, but registration is required at lscgallery.com .
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