David Last x MutekSF – Full Immersion In Sound

MUTEK is a Montreal-based festival dedicated to the promotion of electronic music and the digital arts. This year they launched their first event in San Francisco. It was great success. Our installation was at the San Francisco Mint. The San Francisco Mint was a branch of the United States Mint and was opened in 1854 to serve the gold mines of the California Gold Rush, however, it is now used for events and conferences. It was one of the coolest venues I’ve had the opportunity working in. All the money vaults in the basement of the venue were the rooms used for the installations. Such an incredible vibe!

As David last, who wrote all the music for the installation, describes,

“The concept of our piece was full immersion in sound. Our setup allowed the music to be sensed simultaneously through physical contact (SUBPAC), through the air (the sound system in the room), and through earphones for focus. We built upon a recent Last Faith Studio project called Constructions, which was in some ways about healing after a traumatic experience. Or about finding a more peaceful meditative state. This is the aspect we pushed further for the Immersive Constructions installation; the goal of creating a new body-mind “place” to inhabit through the sound.

[As we] watched the attendees experiencing the piece, [we] got to enjoy their body language and attitudes. Happily, it seemed to connect to a good percentage of those who gave it a try. From people who giggled, to those who melted into the chair in a slowly swaying heap, to a few who cried with their eyes closed. In fact, the majority of attendees closed their eyes, which was [our] intention; for the world we see every day to be washed away by something new and deep and peaceful. [We] faced the chairs away from one another in a semi-circle and kept lighting low, at a rich purple hue, in order to encourage introspection.”

It’s these experiences that truly show how powerful the physical dimension of sound from the SUBPAC can be. We’re excited to continue to work with David to recreate this magic again soon. To everyone involved, once again, a huge thank you. A huge thank you to everyone who came by to check it out too! Until next time!

Learn more:

David Last: http://davidlast.net/

Mutek: http://www.mutek.org/en/