Brain in the Shell
for
Brain Computer Interfaces, 4D sound System and 3 to 6 performers
Opening of the
Syndicate of Space and Sound.
Budapest, Hungary
2023
Brain
in the Shell is
performance that explores the possibilities of consumer-level devices to create
a musical experience. Beyond the sonification of brain frequency bands and the
translation of data into “mental states,” the piece explores the performativity
of wearing BCI devices as an act of intrusion and violence. The
device’sincompatibility and the practical
constrains of closed consumer-level are
made evident
in the unexpectedsonic
glitches that it generates. The
piece
creates dissonant soundscapes and eroding sonic decompositions through the use
of the
electrode’s raw
data in order
to provide
a
more sensorial and physical translation of brain
data.
The conceptual boundaries between human and non-human agencies are challenged,
as we embrace the possibilities of utopic places generated through the
collaboration of humans and machines.
The first
presentation of this performance took place on May 2023 at the Syndicate of
Sound and Space (SSS) in Budapest using 4DSOUND technology. This is the
development of a three-year long research on brainwave sonification, which has
resulted in papers, conference talks and performances.