In 1988 after descending 14-feet into an underground cistern in Port Townsend, Washington to make a recording, Pauline Oliveros coined the term “Deep Listening.” The form focused on the interplay of resonate or reverberant sounds based on the environmental conditions and how audiences receive that sound.
Inspired by a documentary of Ryuichi Sakamoto and the work of Pauline Oliveros, I sought to create a musical experience that was part ritual and part meditation which would break down the barrier between musicians and audiences, immersing all who attended in sound. From this dream came The Soundscape.
Seeking a space that offered a variety of natural elements for musicians to play with resonance as well as an environment that offered a deeply meditative mood, I located The Brooklyn Sanctuary. Built from the foundations of an old church, this homelike spa offering an extraordinary playground for environmental textured sound including stone, wood, glass, water and fire.
Audiences were invited to quietly wander about the entire three story space, relaxing in the tubs and saunas or resting by the fire. Whatever room they entered a musician would be located there, playing their piece of the symphony specifically orchestrated for the room in which the musician was located. Guests could hear one of six portions of the work in any room, or they could choose to remain in the main room, where all the musicians’ individual pieces were being brought in and remixed in real time by Ricardo.
The evening also included a soundbath and individuals performing one-on-one ASMR activations with attendees.
A audio only invitation featuring snippets of the composition, as well as the date and time of the event, was sent to the list four weeks prior to the event.
A traditional invitation was scheduled to follow within 2 days, but proved unnecessary as 90% of tickets were sold exclusively upon the audio release and scant details about the experience itself.