Project led by media artist Valentina Berthelon in colaboration with sound artist Flora Päär.
In today's globalized societies, humans are becoming increasingly disconnected from the natural world. We lost touch with traditional rituals and cultural practices that were once deeply connected to the rhythms of nature and this disconnection has led to a sense of disorientation or loss of meaning for many individuals and communities. Maintaining rituals and staying connected with the ecosystem can be a challenge for people living in urban areas. How can we generate instances to experience a circular time, a sacred time? sacredness has mobile boundaries and I believe something can become sacred simply by having our attention directed to it in a special way, nothing is sacred in itself, things are only sacred in relation.
Many cultures interpreted forests as a home for the gods and being the largest of all plants, trees have been seen as embodiments of supernatural forces. The living structure of a tree is a very complex system that is in eternal exchange with the environment, bringing in connection the nutrients of the soil, the earth, the waters, and the transformative power of light, the sun, and the sky; offering shelter to a variety of species and allowing the transmission of information on a large scale, becoming a pillar in the survival of the entire ecosystem.
This Mix Media experience invites the participant to embark on a multi-sensory immersive experience. The project explores the metaphor of the Tree of Life also called Axis mundi. The metaphor of the Tree as “connector” is a cross-cultural symbol found in many different cultures and traditions around the world and represents a link between the spiritual and physical world.
Combining science fiction elements, symbols, and soundscapes a sacred space-time is created. In the middle of this virtual space, there is a Tree made out of electric wires, The tree is a symbolic portal to access the common consciousness and knowledge stored in its body and electric brunches. Hybrid mythological beings will serve as guides, embodying the diverse perspectives and experiences of the human and non-human worlds. The soundscapes will incorporate voices and instruments which will impact our sensorial perception through specific frequencies, stimulating the function our bones, tissues, organs and brain response. This symbolic act aims to generate a space-time where visitors should go beyond the idea of understanding what is being communicated and actually experience it for themselves.
Live Sound Performance
Based on vibrational medicine principles and performed with the support of digital and acoustic instruments, the sound journey offers to the listeners a tool to drift into an imaginative state, to connect to the inner wisdom. The sound performer, connects with the “voice" of the tree as an archetype, channeling the secret encoded information stored in the flow of its vital force, translating it into sounds and vocalizations, delivering a message to the world and promoting the research of solutions with a more organic and sensitive approach. In the frame of a respectful and transcultural ritual, sound it is intended to be perceived as a vector which allows us to hear "the whispers of the gods", the melody that relieves our souls from doubts and brings answers to our striving pursue to bring healing and coherence to the world we live in.
Technica Rider/ Live Sound Performance
- 2 Active Speakers + Subwoofer
