Ajna for Solo Electronics

2016

Ajna, or third-eye chakra, is the sixth primary chakra in the body according to Hindu tradition. It is a part of the brain which can be made more powerful through meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices just as a muscle is. Once the third-eye is strengthened or awakened one can see both the inner/outer world and have the power to gain pure spiritual contemplation and self reflection. It is also home to the pineal gland which produces melatonin, a serotonin derived hormone which modulates sleep patterns in both circadian and seasonal cycles. 

When I was 12 years old I had my first episode of Insomnia, from then on I experienced extreme sleep deprivation averaging about 0 - 2 hours of sleep every night. The interruptions in my sleep cycle led to daily hallucinations, anxiety, depression, and early symptoms of bipolar disorder. 

In my late teens people began to warn me of the extended conditions that can form from Insomnia (the main three being Delirium, Dementia, and Schizophrenia). After researching there history I found that most of them have close ties to religion. Throughout history many religious groups believed people with these disorders were given a divine punishment and were possessed by demons. I found this interesting since I was raised Catholic and I believe I began experiencing Insomnia when I started rejecting my religion (perhaps that’s just Catholic guilt). Years later I began to meditate, focusing on Ajna in hopes that I could find some type of spiritual balance.

Ajna is split into two movements, the first is a meditation. The second movement is a representation of the voices and feelings that I had during particularly intense bouts of Insomnia. 

Ajna was written to be performed in a pitch black room with at least a 4 channel speaker system. Ajna was originally written for string quintet, percussion, electronics, and an 8.1 speaker system.

Performed on a Livid DS1 and iPad, custom software through MaxMSP and TouchOSC.

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