Composer Maya Shenfeld’s proposal uses the structure and experience of a sound installation to explore the effect social media has on our everyday lives.
“Recent political events such as the United States elections and Brexit have again highlighted the extent to which new media has come to play a defining role in the political sphere, while sociological studies indicate that increased exposure to social media may lead to a variety of psychological disorders. How can music composition and sound art represent our interaction with social media? In what ways can a sonoric medium embody a ‘silent’ phenomenon?”
Constructed in an open, public space where visitors are free to move around unobstructed, Entangled Dimensions will allow the audience to experience music in a form that is closer to the essence of the internet. Electronic sounds reminiscent of the ceaseless flow of information online travel constantly within a network of speakers. Performers make occasional appearances: They play instruments and create a musical dialogue with the installation, but also follow instructions read out by a mechanized voice. Just as social media algorithms direct the paths of their users, so too are the performers’ movements guided by external forces.
The installation will reveal how both actions and reactions can be amplified. By absorbing performers and viewers into its world, Entangled Dimensions creates an aural equivalent of a virtual reality. Visitors interacting with this network become plural, whereas single actions remain singular no more.
Maya Shenfeld is a composer living and working in Berlin. You can learn more about her past projects and performances at mayashenfeld.com.
Image: Maya Shenfeld