Transflexion — Net of Mirrors

Video + Sound Exhibition

INDRA by Alexander Haacke

The sound track for

INDRA
Is a composition by ALEXANDER HACKE commissioned for the “Transflexion: The Net of Mirrors” project initiated by the Leo Kuelbs Collection. The piece is designated to accompany a video installation featuring the work of various artists. The music is to be played back in a continuous loop during the viewing hours of the exhibition interacting with, commenting on, reflecting, emphasizing or possibly even contradicting the content of the visuals, without being in any way synched to their sequence. INDRA was conceived as a composition adapting the Buddhist philosophical concept of “Indra’s Net”, while applying a structure based on an order 5 word square, utilizing the letters I, N, D, R, A, E and K.

I N D R A

N A E O R

D E K E D

R O E A N

A R D N I

The numerical equivalent of these letters is represented in the following square:

9 14 4 18 1

14 1 5 15 18

4 5 11 5 4

18 15 5 1 14

1 18 4 14 9

Applied to a chromatic scale, starting in the key of C, these numbers would correspond to the sequence shown below:

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

In order to have the composition start in the key of C though, while placing a massive outburst of intensity and volume in the key of D in its center representing K, the only letter which does not reoccur, a scale starting with D# is applied:

D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Locating 14, 15 and 18 at F, F# and A respectively and resulting in the square which provides the basic tonal structure of INDRA:

C F G A E

F E G# F# A

G G# D G# G

A F# G# E F

E A G F C

Aside from the calculations indicated above, the piece is set to the speed of 120 beats per minute, which is not only associated with the amount of seconds per minute but known to be in tune with the frequency 256 Hz, which is represented by the middle key of C.

Each of the 25 keys/letters is held for 12 bars in a 4/4 signature lasting 24 seconds, which results in the composition of 300 bars, lasting exactly 10 minutes.

A significant detail in the instrumentation is the use of a dulcimer, hammered with wooden mallets, which is intended to raise associations with a loom, corresponding to the imagery of the spider-web metaphor in connection with the concept of Indra’s net.

"Imagine a multidimensional spider's web in the early morning covered with dew drops. And every dew drop contains the reflection of all the other dew drops. And, in each reflected dew drop, the reflections of all the other dew drops in that reflection. And so ad infinitum. That is the Buddhist conception of the universe in an image."
-Alan Watts

More information:

http://www.european-house-of-art.qxd8.com/

More information about the artists here.

More information about Transflexion here.

<  Previous Project   |   Next Project  >