The Stillness series by Yann Novak takes its inspiration from the two climates in which the artist has inhabited: the subtropical in Los Angeles and the oceanic in Seattle. In these works, Novak investigates each climates’ almost static meteorological states, and of their emotional effect upon their inhabitants.

In Stillness.Subtropical digital edition, Novak’s blurred landscape progressively turns from day into night, as his palette terracotta red, sky blue, black and grey; evolve and dissolve into space. The work’s gradual intensity of sound mirrors the evolving visual void, as it advances from desertscape into subtropical vista.

Stillness.Subtropical is an abridged version of a large multichannel audio-visual installation, for which the sound element was created using a recording of shortwave radio tuned to static in Los Angeles. Precisely because radio waves are affected by both water vapour in the troposphere and ionization in the upper atmosphere from the sun, the recording contains a unique signature from the atmosphere the waves traveled through.

Similarly, the video elements are made up of photographs taken over the course of many months, fixed on the horizon. These photographs capture a more literal portrait of the climate, and as accumulated elements, they are then digitally altered to create an ambiguous abstraction. The resulting work leaves enough of the source imagery to guide the experience and define the location, whilst remaining abstract enough to create an immersive environment for contemplation and reflection.