On Connection / Installation / Performance / VR Experience

This project, led by media artist Valentina Berthelon and sound artist Flora Päär, aims to explore the interconnectedness of the universe through the metaphor of the Tree of Life, using a ritual and symbolic acts to connect individuals to the larger cycles of the natural world.

On Connection Installation 

In today's globalized societies, humans are becoming increasingly disengage 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.  On Connection explores speculative approaches to human-nature relationships, shaping space to feel and tune in with our emotional states and our environment. We invite the participant to embark on a multi-sensory experience, to connect with the metaphor of the Tree as Axis Mundi. This symbol is found in many different cultures around the world and represents a link between the spiritual and physical worlds. 

Combining science fiction elements, symbols, and soundscapes a ritualistic experience is created. In this alternative world, we find 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, which resembles the blood vessel systems of the human body as well as technologically complex systems like the internet network. Hybrid mythological beings will embody diverse perspectives of the human and non-human worlds, developing a connecting link to greater cycles of the universe. The sound journey incorporates voices and ancestral live instruments to guide us through an immersive experience, impacting our senses through specific frequencies and stimulating inner vision.

On Connection audiovisual performance

On Connection can also be presented as an audiovisual performance in which Flora Päär will hold an ambient sound performance to interact with the participants while Valentina will project on real time selected video scenes of the virtual world.

In the frame of a respectful and transcultural ritual, the sound is intended to be perceived as a vector that allows us to hear the "whispers of the gods", the melody that relieves our souls from doubts and brings answers to our striving to pursue to bring healing and coherence to the world we live in. Based on vibrational medicine principles and performed with the support of acoustic instruments, such as Tibetan bowls, chimes, shamanic drums, and rattles, the sound meditation offers the listeners a tool to drift into an imaginative state, to connect to the inner wisdom, promoting the research of solutions with a more organic and sensitive approach. By entering a trance-like state, the sound performer, connects with the "voice" of the tree as archetype, channeling the secret encoded information stored in the flow of its vital force, the rustling of its leaves in the wind, the silent growth of its branches and roots. Subtle energies are translated into sounds and vocalizations, delivering a message to the world, stimulating inner vision and perception.

*The duration of the live audiovosual performance is 25 mins. aproximately. We can discuss the possibility of including the VR experience in the context of the Live Performace. 

Valentina Berthelon is a Chilean media artist based in Berlin. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from "La Esmeralda", National Art Center of Mexico and a Master's degree in Kunst und Media at UDK, University of the Arts Berlin. In her artistic practice, Valentina combines different techniques such as video, sound, and Virtual Reality to create immersive and multisensory experiences to explore the relationship between art, technology, and society. Her audiovisual pieces aim to talk about a circular time, a time that is not linear, but it’s a collage, an assembly of stories, facts, theories, and comments, a time that reflects the networked nature of the Universe.  
www.valentinaberthelon.com/

Federica(aka Flora Päär/Pareal) is a Singer/Vocal Performer, Vibrational Counselor and Sound Therapist, scholar of Accademia di Medicina Vibrazionale of Milan and UK Vibroacoustic Association in London.
Combining Vibrational Medicine and Sound Therapy fundamentals with Chinese Medicine and Nada Yoga Techniques,Aum Garden finds its expression in a spontaneous approach to ancient vibrational practices framed in a contemporary ambient sonic imaginary. The combination of meditation and sound bath introduces the listeners to discover new practical tools to improve spiritual and physical rebalance through conscious listening and sound-journeying.
https://aumgarden.weebly.com/