Dead Symphony

Into the doldrums of the Arts Centre, burrowing into the alluvial soil aside the river, we descend. Down a concrete staircase before a dark, high-ceilinged, beige-curtained room opens out in front – a still, six-member orchestra holding tension in the centre. They're ringed by ten or 12 vertical light bars that are seemingly floating no higher than head-height. We sit in the round. Dead Symphony proceeds as a purely aural piece: no physical performance beyond what's necessary for the musicians. The lights respond to the music's mood. And yet, it fits best into the realm of performance art. Artist and composer Saskia Moore and her orchestra, Apartment House, delicately build a serene landscape of sound out of what real people have heard during near-death experiences. The affect is bodily, meditative, an absurdly profound sense of calm. The audience's stillness and focus is palpable. Soft glitches, reverbs and repetitions caress to rest any desire for a destination. Entirely unexpected.

Arts Centre (finished).