Elysium, A Wonderful Evening: Sound Bath/Ambient Show (Ewa Awe, A Portal to Jump Through)

Beginning to understand the core of how my practice functions, I found that most recently an aspect of performance has intertwined itself into my inspirations. In February, I attended a sound bath, an exhibit that combined the likes of sound art, performance, and installation. Constructed by Ewa Awe and A Portal to Jump Through, the exhibit was held in a dark space with pillows scattered across the floor. In the center, both artists composed their pieces in two parts which combined, measured in about three hours’ time. Both sets combined the likes of many artists. For example, Aphex Twin, Kelly Moran, Pan Daijing, along with personal work from both the artists.

The conception of Elysium is the afterlife that was developed and believed within ancient Greek mythology. Laying and listening to this show, the sounds created an almost euphoric, serene feeling; what it might feel like to be in Elysium. With no responsibilities except to lay and listen, I lost track of time and found myself completely at peace. I find this influencing my practice by the way an overall experience was created: the combination of mediums and methods. Basing its’ concept off of ancient myths, I see this relating to lots of my past and current work as well. The use of myth and lore in relation to myself has long been something that has influenced my work, therefor, this performance felt very visceral to me. Through seeing this combination of methods, I am able to apply this to my own work and gain a new perspective on creating an overall experience.

.