Urszula Malicka
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Dimmersion
The phenomenon of Frequency Following Response states that any sound produced at a frequency which emulates one of those associated with the operation of the human brain in its different stages of consciousness, will affect the brain, causing it to mimmick the frequencies heard and adjust the brainwave output.
Nicola Tesla, experimenting at the beginning of the 20th century, made an interesting discovery, which was re-examined by the German physicist Prof. Weinfried Otto Schumann. Each lightning bolt that is seen locally generates a global effect of radio waves of low frequencies that resonate with the Earth, thickening the ionosphere. It is the number of discharges that matters, not where they occurred. This curiosity is being observed today in research stations around the world in the form of the Schumann Resonance, incl. the resonant frequency of the Earth which is also the resonant frequency of the human brain. Depending on how low or high this frequency is, we can observe the entire spectrum of its influences, from variations in temperature around the world to fluctuations in people's mood at any given time.
Even sixty years ago it was believed that the fundamental Schumann frequency reaches its maximum level at 7.83 Hz. This would mean that most of the time we are under the influence of the waves which have a sleep-inducing effect, making it difficult to function in a higher state of consciousness. From today's perspective, however, it is known that the lowest of the Schumann frequencies is variable and seems to have recently been moving towards 8 Hz, sometimes even exceeding this limit. This is most important from a brain operating perspective as it reflects the shift from theta to alpha spectrum. The result may be a widening of human perception, but it is not known what changes in the way of seeing the world this may involve in practice.
Dimmersion is the word characterising the phenomenon of immersion caused by a factor of regular frequency of change. The work was a performative piece consisting of sound and light, set in the space of a typical Warsaw apartment in a housing estate, whose character has been dematerialised through sound and light. Inside, the furniture was left to facilitate the reception of real space and encourage people to move around the place. All household equipment was taken away leaving the observer with a blank image of what could had been an inhabited flat at some point. In the space there was a sound system and a strobe lamp, the flash frequency of which had been adjusted manually.
The piece was based on a tripartite rhythm. As the listener was going over the composition, he was guided through six frequencies successively following one after another, which, like a slow, nine-minute-long breath, influenced the perception of space, effecting not only the functioning of the senses of hearing and vision. This phenomenon was felt through the whole body. The six fundamental frequencies are sounds ranging from the lowest to the highest, which were designed to harmonise the listener, "breaking down" the tensions in his body starting from the feet up to the top of the head, increasing the frequency and vibration of the body's work.
The flash frequency of the strobe light was synchronised with the rhythm of the sound. Together they had a strong influence on the space and the people in it. Their pulsating nature disturbed the stable perception of the surroundings and changed the physical and mental state of the viewers. The frequencies were designed so that the recipient could easily tune to them, and at the same time, thanks to their amplitude, they created quite different space-time impressions from those defined as reality. The whole space was saturated with frequency thanks to the use of strobe lamp and sound.
It has been known for a long time that the body is extremely sensitive to light fluctuations which naturally signal weather shifts or changes in the time of the day. The fact that the recipient was exposed to the alternating action of light and dark, located him in between these extremes, unable to fully experience either of them. One could say that he was immersed in the space between light and dark. This created a situation of some discomfort as it was impossible to obtain a stable image and the perception was constantly distorted. Important was, what started to happen after being in this “in between” experience for a long time. It was about immersing in the rhythm of sound and light that caused dramatic shift of perception.