Sergio Calder?n is a visual artist and founding member of the London based avant-garde band ?(MU) . In addition, he runs Entertaining Violence–an “independent publishing house, gallery and record label” established in 2015. This week he announced the release of STEREO, a very limited edition CD in packaging designed with his partner in 無(MU) Lee–who also provides hand-painted calligraphy on each copy.
STEREO was conceived as a two channel-video and sound installation, and was first shown in Beijing at Intelligentsia Gallery, as part of the show ‘Not a State, But an Artists’ Colony‘. The soundtrack to the visual piece was originally recorded at the Entertaining Violence Gallery in London on August 15th, 2015, and it is a 47-minute live guitar improvisation by Calder?n and Lee. Exploring the power of sound to create a meditative experience, the musicians use tone and texture to move consciousness inward. Connecting to the primal delta wave, STEREO has the ability, thru its tonal frequencies, to slow the mind to a crawl, and the experience is akin to deep, transcendental meditation.
The video above was shot at Fruityspace in Beijing on April 15th of this year, and it’s an excerpted recording of a live event at the gallery. What seems to be visible here is one channel of the two-channel performance. In the full viewing, each black and white channel depicts a strange, dream-like sigil that composes a star-like polygon inside a circle. Within the ritualized confines of this shape, a globe spins, and thru its cloudy mist we can view smaller spinning globes inside–like a crystal ball. While not quite the complete experience, this video is an excellent way to view and listen to ?’s powerful work!
