This Friday (7th June) sees the launch of Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky, hosted by the UK’s largest immersive art experience Frameless. A complete takeover of the iconic venue, the never before seen show blends music and art with the latest neuroscience and technology, in an exploration of how our minds respond to music, will allow visitors to witness brain data visualised as stunning skyscapes featuring the music of Pink Floyd and Imogen Heap.
The powerful, immersive experience, that will run on select Friday and Saturday evenings in June 2024 for over 18s only, comes from Brainstorms, a joint venture between San Francisco-based creative studio Pollen Music Group and Richard Wright Music Limited and brings to life the results of the Brainstorms research project that took place last autumn.
Driven by a mutual admiration for the beautiful and haunting simplicity of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright’s songwriting, the Brainstorms team has themed the experience around the overarching theme of great gigs in the sky. Visitors will travel through the four main Frameless galleries which each feature stunning immersive visualisations of the human brain’s response to music, from mesmerising cloud formations and mystical auroras to starling murmurations and an eclipse, enveloping individuals inside the songs like never before.
To create the visuals for the ‘Aurora’ Gallery, the largest of the four galleries, 125 individuals had their brain activity recorded while listening in unparalleled clarity and depth through immersive sound Dolby Atmos to 1973 Pink Floyd classic, ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ from the highly celebrated album ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’. The instrumental track, which was the creation of Richard Wright, with vocal composition by Clare Torry, features her voice as an instrument in place of lyrics so was deemed a perfect piece for the largest data collection of its kind. The EEG readings of brain activity, which will be visualised within the experience, were captured at Dolby Labs by the neuroscience experts within the Pollen Music Group team and reflect the participant’s excitement, interest and relaxation felt whilst listening to the track.
Accompanying the visuals will be an immersive, bespoke mix of the Pink Floyd classic, from celebrated composer and mix engineer JJ Wiesler, that will see the track reimagined for ultimate musical immersion, giving people the exclusive chance to hear The Great Gig in the Sky, from the acclaimed 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon, like never before.
Pioneering musician Imogen Heap and her nine-year-old daughter, who took part in the initial brain data capture, will have their pre-recorded brainwaves visualised in the ‘Murmurations’ Gallery, set to her ambient track Cumulus in surround sound. Developed in Unreal, the projected images of swooping and swirling birds will show how the pair’s data sets align as the flocks mirror how the same music can affect different people.
Throughout the experience, visitors will witness first-hand music’s extraordinary impact on the brain and its power to affect the way we feel by harnessing the technological capabilities of its galleries.
Gala Wright, curator and Artistic director at Brainstorms and daughter of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, says, “The visual representation of brain data provides an accessible and intuitive way to see how a piece of music can be a deeply personal yet also powerfully shared experience. Questioning how this is true for my father’s compositions is a key motivation for me bringing this concept to life with Pollen. The added benefit of bringing awareness to his musicality through the Brainstorms project serves to augment his legacy.”
Richard Warp, Pollen composer and Artistic & Technical director at Brainstorms, adds, “Music has a uniquely powerful impact on our mental state, affecting us all in a myriad of ways. Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky seeks to celebrate this while shining a light on the hugely complex physiological processes in our brains as we listen to music.”
On selected dates, a limited number of VIP ticket holders will also have the opportunity to have their brain data captured listening to a five-minute cross-section of The Dark Side of the moon and then see it visualised in the stunning Cloud Gallery.
Located in a 30,000 square-feet venue in the heart of Marble Arch, Frameless is the UK’s largest immersive art experience. Alongside the four immersive galleries, Frameless includes an art-inspired Café Bar and a Gift Shop where official merchandise from the experience will be available to buy.
Cathy Wells, Head of Brand at Frameless Creative, says, “At Frameless, we are committed to supporting world-class innovation within the immersive arena that truly pushes the boundaries. Helping people to connect more with their emotions and feel more through the global language of music, art and culture is at the heart of what we do. We can’t wait to welcome the Brainstorms residency to our galleries, where the public will get to witness first-hand music’s extraordinary impact on the brain and its power to affect the way we feel.”
Tickets to Brainstorms: A Great Gig in the Sky are priced from £30 and tickets are now on sale. A strictly limited number of VIP tickets are available that include the brain data capture experience. To buy tickets or to find out more visit https://frameless.com/brainstorms/.
