An unexpected introduction in Estonia opened a door into a world I had not been looking for. A friend introduced me to NeuroVIZR, a light-and-sound experience. What intrigued me was not the promise of a device but the possibility of encountering sensation in a different way.
As a musician, I am accustomed to the way sound can change the atmosphere of a room. Light adds another dimension. In my own experience, focusing on both allowed me to become immersed in the moment, much as I might at a concert or festival. My mind is rarely still; the experience offered a different focus for my attention. That is a personal impression, not a medical claim.
Estonia had already left a mark on me. I heard singer Liisi Koikson perform in an old church, where the long reverberation and the organ transformed the space. It was unlike performances I had encountered in New York, Barcelona or Paris. Something in that meeting of music, architecture and stillness reminded me of the spiritual attention I have encountered in Japan, from digital zazen in Kyoto to experiences in nature.
The technology was only one part of the story. Over time, I got to know the people behind it through conversations, visits and gatherings. Ivar Savin, based in Tallinn and involved with Luxsanat, photographed me almost spontaneously; those photographs became part of how I present myself to the world. Friendship grew into an invitation to collaborate, and I became a NeuroVIZR ambassador.
Adding light to music or scent to images is not, in itself, the future I imagine.
Dance music, light, digital scent, real fire and the natural world. I am interested in more than simply bringing these elements into a single space. I want to challenge the familiar hierarchy in which music is the main act and everything else is treated as decoration.
Sound, light, scent, fire and nature would exist on equal terms. Rather than watching a stage, people would become part of the environment itself, shaping a personal experience through all their senses.
That is the kind of new festival I have begun to imagine.
It does not exist yet. But my encounters in Estonia left me with something close to a conviction.
New forms of entertainment do not necessarily begin with new technology. They can begin when talents from different worlds meet, when sensibilities that have never crossed paths challenge one another's assumptions.
What I am looking for next is not another piece of equipment.
It is people who want to build a world none of us has experienced before — together.