We looked at some promotion materials for the 4/20 sound bath and compared it to the footage of the event, and examined the discrepancy. This is something I’ve also been discussing with the promoters – why is the event page not conveying the richness of the in-person experience?
1) Is this work about my biometric data, the amplification of my body, overpowering or dominating the biological systems of the other people in the room? Could audience members be informed of that to better understand what is happening as they go in? Knowing me makes that more comfortable, or a sense of trust in the brand or community or space? They are surrendering to a processes that hijacks / overtakes / dominates / synchronizes their biological system
(Noah Dixon is here as I write this, and he attended the soundbath, so I asked him “how would you describe this event to someone in Utah (his home state) who had no experience with this world?”)
Meditation, single facilitator leading a group meditation, using biofeedback, used my heartbeat and the amplification of my heartbeat to sync, a “captive portal for meditation”, something he stepped into willing, he was pulled into a new realm, out of his control, being led and facilitated. Dom situation: Noah chose to sync up his heart? Made the choice to sync up.
2) Are these performances about the virtuoso or the abilities of the technological system? How is that conveyed? Why not just use a pre-recorded set, either from Ableton or a previous soundbath? For me, it makes me feel more vulnerable to have it live, but that is my experience, not the experience of the audience. What if heart rate sensors are on audience members that (as previously brainstormed) influence the sound, or, trigger a small light on them, so they rate and synchrony can be perceived visually by others or on the video recording. Or multiple sensors, even just one more person helps people witness the live / interactive nature of the piece. If it’s just me, it’s harder for others to perceive the live nature of the sensors, because if the sound or light changes, how does the audience know it’s real? If they look at me and I’m still just sitting meditating with my eyes closed, there is no perceivable change to confirm the change in the media output.