Dancing Plasma

Hundreds of kilovolts twist and turn through rising channels of ionized air. The high voltage is pulsed at an audible frequency to create music alongside a mesmerizing show of pure energy. Each arc heats the air around it, creating air currents that subsequent arcs follow, plus light and sound.

We have been developing electronics and software to create music using high voltage arcs with live input from a guitar, prerecorded MIDI, or various other sources. While experimenting with this, we have found long exposure photos of the arcs beautifully illustrate many physical phenomena.

The arcs are striking an insulating glass screen, spreading out horizontally along the surface, as well as being reflected in the lower portion of the image. Horizontal streamers terminate at points in the glass that have been burnt through by the intense heat of the arcs. Strong electric fields around these points in an otherwise uniform surface draw arcs near. The light is primarily purple due to the high proportion of nitrogen in air. Exposure time is 1/2 second. Frame is approximately 18" tall.