Immersive sound event, 420 min
Saturday, 30 Sep, at 22:00
Cukrarna
Ticket price: 10€

Ticket purchase

Join us in the lobby of Cukrarna Gallery for a night concert, a deep listening experience facilitated by sound therapy practices to retune the body and lull you to sleep. The concert starts after a brief introduction with a discussion about sleep and the therapeutic properties of sound.

All matter is made up of atoms and electrons. Consequently, humans and more-thanhumans are constantly in motion, engaged in a wave-like activity. Day in and out, we are exposed to a wide range of stimuli that impact the natural vibrations in our bodies: sound frequencies, electromagnetic radiation, frequencies of mental processes, and more. These various stimuli modulate our overall well-being. On the downside, modern humans face heightened psychological tensions due to an increasingly fast-paced lifestyle that often leaves little time to rest, relax and recuperate.

Wherever we go, we cannot avoid noise: the buzzing of traffic, phone chatter, music from cars and bars. Public spaces are saturated with various sounds we barely perceive anymore, as they have become an integral part of our daily lives. Only at night, when humans rest, sonically saturated urban environments quiet down. The night is the time for rest and recuperation. Thoughts calm down, breathing slows, the nervous system relaxes, and, consequently, our body and mind. Only at night more-thanhuman, nocturnal creatures claim their space for living. Due to the spatial duality, humans rarely experience the night landscape. What does nature sound like while we sleep, and what does a sleeping human sound like?

During sleep, brain activity transitions into alpha, theta and delta waves, facilitating the relaxation of the mental and physical body. The intentional slowing down of brainwave activity is also a characteristic feature of various psychotherapeutic relaxation methods and techniques, such as meditation, hypnosis and autogenic training.

Through ancient ritual practices of the Eastern world, traditional therapeutic instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, and drums were adopted in music (psychedelic and classical music) in the 1960s and 70s. Due to their therapeutic effects, healthcare professionals use them in different therapies, including music therapy. A particular characteristic of these instruments is their ability to slow down brain activity by affecting brain waves (alpha, theta, delta), inducing deep relaxation and activating natural processes of cellular regeneration, detoxification and body renewal.

Event itinerary: Sleeping mats will be provided at the venue. The participants should bring their pillows, blankets and comfortable clothing. After a brief theoretical introduction at 22.00, the concert will begin at around 23.00. We will experience hours of ‘sound lulling’, awakening just before dawn. Immediately after the night concert, the participants are invited to join the artist Catherine Clover for her Larking soundwalk.

a l l j a [Alja Petric] is a vocalist, an educator and a multifaceted researcher dedicated to exploring the art of music, conducting individual and group sound and vocal workshops and sound therapy practices. Her artistic pursuits draw inspiration from nature’s soundscapes and the capital’s everyday urban life.

Sleeping mats are courtesy of the City of Ljubljana, Department for Protection, Rescue and Civil Defense.