Cinematic Vision

Steve McQueen, renowned artist and filmmaker, unveils his latest work Bass at Dia:Beacon in New York, supported by the Laurenz Foundation, Schaulager Basel. This immersive installation explores the full spectrum of visible light alongside a sonic component, continuing McQueen’s exploration of cinema as material, documentary tool and narrative medium.

Approaching his projects like a sculptor, McQueen uses projected light and sound to transcend the traditional framework of cinema. Bass consists of 60 ceiling-mounted light boxes that traverse the spectrum of visible light, accompanied by a sound component. In this work, the changing colours of light flood the subterranean space while low-volume instruments produce reverberating sounds, transforming the gallery into a purely immersive environment. This exhibition builds on McQueen’s previous experiments with spatial perception, offering a transformative experience without moving images.