New Scientist recommends pioneering artist Ryoji Ikeda’s new work

Thomas Lewton
Features editor, London

Since the mid-2000s, electronic musician and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda has transformed vast quantities of data into immersive installations that transport you inside invisible scientific realms.

When visiting his new work data-cosm [n°1], which sets out to “chart the full spectrum of data on nature”, I laid back as my field of vision was enveloped by a vast LED screen that whirred to life with strobing flashes. But I soon settled into the pace of this rollercoaster as it careered around Earth, inside our minds and into outer space, all perfectly synchronised with glitching music.

This is undoubtedly a slick production. Virtually flying through a DNA strand at high speed is thrilling, giving you a visceral reminder of how vast the human genome is. Yet there is so much to absorb that, at times, these data-worlds ring hollow, and it feels like you are being dazzled at the cost of interrogating our relationship to data.

See the show yourself at 180 Studios in London until 1 February.