On Connection / Installation + 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.

Concept

In the frame of a respectful transcultural ritual, On Connection invites the participants to embark on an immersive meditative experience, exploring the metaphor of the Tree as a gateway to access the collective consciousness and knowledge. Combining science fiction elements, symbols, and soundscapes, the spiritual and physical worlds merge into a dimension where we can find answers to our inner quests. Drawing parallels to the human vascular system and complex technological networks like the internet, the Tree represents the link between the material world and the invisible structure of our universe.

The Mother Tree, composed of electric wires, serves as a powerful metaphor to rethink profit-driven and extractive technologies because plants and technology are generative, complex systems at small and big scales. In many of our forests, there is a sophisticated network of fungal threads “Mycorrhizae” linking the roots of plants and trees of different species, helping them to obtain water and nutrients from the soil and neighboring plants. This forest network mirrors the technological matrix that sustains and regulates humanity today.

The characters in the ritual are inspired by mythological archetypes like monsters, aliens and goddesses used historically by Western culture to address repressed identities. These beings will challenge the Eurocentric binary paradigm of identity that defines otherness and difference as negative. On Connection celebrates diversity and empowerment by positioning these hybrid beings as our guides in this spiritual journey.

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 an archetype, channeling the secret encoded information stored in the flow of its vital force.

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/