Intrigued by the phenomena and history of optical sound, Mariska de Groot makes comprehensive analog light-to-sound instruments and installations. A new version of her Stirred Mandala performance arises from her ongoing research on optical sound and spiral movements in body and machine and is a result of Mariska’s residency at A4. The spinning pattern of a ‘tone wheel’ is projected on the floor, like a rug of light creating the instrument surface for the performer, while light-to-sound transducers become her playful tools. Changing frequencies of the light cause the projection to appear in different patterns going in different directions, sound follows this optical illusion.

This new work was created during a residency, commissioned by A4 and Kontejner, as part of the international collaborative project Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, and supported using public funding by the Slovak Arts Council and Bratislava Self-Governing Region.

The video was created also by volunteers, as part of a project supported by the European Solidarity Corps program.

Photo Courtesy of the organisation