Chambers of AWE interview at DevCon4
Chambers of AWE
Using sound to create transformative experiences and facilitate the embodiment of consciousness.
Chambers of AWE (Acoustic Waves Emergence) are deep, immersive sound experiences created with ancient and modern acoustic instruments, augmented by cutting edge technology. Conceived and performed by Laura Inserra, they are a bridge between ancient technology (wisdom traditions and music) and modern technology (high tech and science).
They are sound and lighting installations for events, music content for 'nap pods' and meditation apps, soundscapes for inner and outer environment, ambisonic sound architectures, private and group immersive and transformative sound journeys.
At the core of the project are sound sources made by rare modern and ancient worldwide acoustic instruments. Those sounds create immersive environments with a vast spectrum of frequencies which facilitate powerful transformational experiences. In these settings body and mind merge with the sound and transit to deeper inner landscapes journeys, traveling beyond the field of cognitive perceptions.
Chambers of AWE are unique combination of recorded sound architectures and live performances. Using the most advanced technology, Laura amplifies the instruments’ impact by entering the sound, augmenting it, and yet maintaining the integrity of the original source and its harmonics.
More info at https://www.chambersofawe.com
Staged world premiere at DevCon4
Oct. 30 - Nov. 2, 2018
in Prague Congress Center - Czech Republic
Devcon is the annual Ethereum conference for cryptocurrency designers, developers, researchers and artists. The Ethereum Foundation hosts Devcon to educate and empower our community to build decentralized applications, and to bring Ethereum protocols, tools, and culture to the world. This is a conference for builders: designers, UX researchers, smart contract devs, blockchain researchers, client implementers, test engineers, infrastructure operators, community organizers, and even artists in the community.
More info at https://devcon4.ethereum.org
Why Do the Most Forward-Thinking Tech Conferences
Hire Laura Inserra to Create Their “Decompression Rooms”?
Heading into the 2020s, the most forward-looking corporate conferences create “decompression lounges” where attendees can relax and recharge for a few minutes before diving back in headlong to the intensity and bustle of the conference.
However, most decompression lounges are paltry affairs, with perhaps a little ambient music playing off an iPod, and a tea station and some fruit.
At DevCon4, the main annual meeting for the Ethereum community, the Ethereum Foundation wanted something more immersive, more artistic, and frankly, more decompressive.
The Foundation wanted participants not just to have a relaxing and restorative experience, but one that would also uplift them, and bring them into deeper resonance with their bodies--thus getting more in touch with their creative potential.
That’s why the Ethereum Foundation brought in Laura Inserra, multi-instrumentalist creator of Chambers of AWE.
AWE stands for Acoustic Wave Emergence--a fancy term for a simple vision:
Allow people to transport themselves, for as long or short as they want, in an overwhelmingly immersive, sensorily-stunning environment, as harmonized sounds, responsive lights, and acoustic frequencies envelop them.
Laura’s installation took over one of the main rooms of the Prague Congress Centre, one of the largest convention centers in Europe.
She and her team installed 16 concert-hall speakers and 4 subwoofers around the Centre’s Forum Hall, creating an ambisonic sphere. Once you are inside the speakers, you are inside a chamber of sound.
At the center of the space, with a 50-foot custom sound-responsive light sculpture hanging from the ceiling, Laura set up her array of several dozen acoustic instruments from around the world, captured by 12 mics.
Spiraling out from her were arrays of daybeds, where conference participants could lay back, take in the sights and sounds, and trance-port themselves into realms beyond, for moments or hours.
It was an all-encompassing experience for participants. (And awe-encompassing!
