^{Ethereal Waves}

2023

The event PORTALE, a collaboration between the Masters program Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at the UdK Berlin, the Zeiss Großplanetarium and the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut brings contemporary artistic practices to an iconic Berlin venue and opens up new worlds of immersive audio-visual experiences. Making full use of the 23-meter-high dome equipped with a multi-channel digital projection system as well as a full dome spatial sound system consisting of 49 speakers and four subwoofers, 15 artists present their works, from generative art to real time feed-back systems. These 13 works for frameless media alter and enhance the regular functioning of this theatrical space taking the spectator into various artistic contemplations.  

Emerging from the cosmic interplay of solar winds and distant stars, a complex array of physical phenomena, including radio waves, intensity fluctuations, particle dissipation, and solar escape velocity at 618 km/s, composes a captivating narrative of the universe. This narrative extends beyond the perceptible, prompting reflections on the nature of reality. In the domain of sound, each manifestation encapsulates a history within a silent cacophony. If we were to encapsulate these auditory emissions within a celestial sphere, they would manifest as intangible oscillations, spatially fluctuating and eventually dissipating. Vibrations, like echoes, endure in accordance with the principle of energy conservation, inviting contemplation into the endurance of phenomena.

Temporal considerations lead to an exploration of the peculiar persistence of stellar luminosity long after celestial extinction, challenging conventional understandings of temporal progression. This hidden temporal dimension, analogous to unheard sounds, necessitates a gradual evolution in our perceptual framework. The exploration unfolds through the intricacies of vibration, reflection, and refraction, leaving imprints within the cosmic spectrum and sine wave interference patterns. In harmony with the cosmos, sustained tones form a continuous syntactical structure, akin to a harmonic arpeggio with a timbre reminiscent of an Overtone singer. Drawing inspiration from Risset's cascade, the journey takes us through a spiral of time—a clash of strange attractors, chaotic systems cycling periodically yet never repeating the exact pattern, and logarithmic spirals, a familiar shape found throughout nature and art. This prompts a reevaluation of time as a dimension that merely defines succession and events, beckoning towards a sense of unity that transcends conventional boundaries between self and object.

Delving further, the exploration encounters the mythical notion of primordial time—a dimension housing dream events and visions. This idea aligns with modern depth psychology's conception of the unconscious, where contact with such a dimension necessitates a state of unconsciousness. Testimonies regarding the relative "timelessness" of the unconscious echo not only in primitive cultures but also in mystical experiences characterized by profound unity with the universe and a sense of timelessness.

The feeling of timelessness inherent in the experiences of the deeper layers of the unconscious, referred to as the collective unconscious by Jung, reflects a structural commonality shared by all individuals. Those who traverse these depths often claim an ability to foresee future events, challenging the conventional delineations of past, present, and future. This mystical experience, sought after in various Eastern religious movements, unfolds as a profound sense of oneness with all things, rooted in the amalgamation of unconscious contents. Consequently, the ordinary temporal experience, with its divisions of past, present, and future, diminishes, giving way to a mystical continuum where time dissolves into the undivided fabric of existence.