★★★★
Adelaide Fringe Festival. Adelaide Planetarium, UniSA. 28 Mar 2021
StellarSphere – Full Dome Sound Bath Experience is sublime. It is a visual and aural event that transforms your day and replenishes your soul.
Many of us have been to planetariums and enjoyed journeys through the night skies, but this event is different. Darren Curtis and Bradley Pitt are composers and sound engineers, but they dabble in the esoteric. They take digital data obtained from NASA space missions and other arcane sources (such as resonant pyramid chambers (?!), star ‘sounds’, and natural ecosystems) and ‘process’ the data to produce music, which then accompanies the projections on the ceiling of the planetarium.
The projections are a mix of the astronomical sequences one would expect in a traditional planetarium experience, but there are also visual representations of evolving complex biological systems, as well as mandala designs. The images are stunning.
The original music sounds other-worldly but has a relationship to the established tonal systems that we all intuitively understand and experience every time we listen to music. The music is electronic and soothing, with a mix of esoteric acoustic instruments such as Tibetan singing bowls. It is easy to lose oneself in the music. There is nothing to contemplate – no obvious structure that demands attention and analysis. The audience settles back in reclining chairs and becomes one with it, almost taking leave of one’s body for a few minutes to explore other dimensions.
The whole thing is profoundly restful and immersive. At times it is disorienting, but in an entirely fulfilling way. This event is definitely worth experiencing.
Kym Clayton
When: 25 Feb to 6 Mar
Where: Adelaide Planetarium, UniSA, University Boulevard, Mawson Lakes
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
