Sonic Sphere Lab Sessions
About this program
Join members of the Sonic Sphere collective and their collaborators for a pop-up laboratory session inside the sphere. Each session’s surprise program will vary. You may experience anything from dance and intellectual debate to experimental music, soundscapes, and more.
The Sonic Sphere collective’s process of innovation and iteration is driven by this experimental methodology. In these spontaneous sessions, the seeds of tomorrow’s great art are born. Expect community, mischief, and brilliance.
Lab Sessions Schedule
Sonic Sphere is a collective above all, a laboratory of the senses. To give shape to their experiments they collaborate with artists on how to write original work for Sonic Sphere. They remix, deconstruct, and render existing works from the widest spectrum of genres into the spatial forma while trying to invent ever-developing tools to interact with, create for, and experience the sphere.
In this session, the Sonic Sphere team will showcase some of their classic experiments and spatializations and engage participants in an interactive dialogue on the challenges and opportunities posed by working in a spherical format.
With Merijn Royaards, Sonic Sphere Co-Founder and Creative Director
This session reimagines the age-old tradition of sharing stories in a circle by taking the audience through a live, three-dimensional journey of words. As original pieces by four poets weave their tapestry of sound and metaphor, the audience will be enveloped in a shared moment of narrative immersion and connection.
Poets Danielle Bero, Lauren Ducrey, Kyle Studstill, and Cea (Constantine Jones) invite you into the heartbreaking idiosyncrasies of personal experience that lead straight to the universal heartbeat that sits at the center of every story. Where poems say out loud what we all feel down low.
With music by Spencer Handley
Composer Raquel Acevedo Klein and sound artist Joe Mardin will present original works.
Polyphonic Interlace by Raquel Acevedo Klein
Polyphonic Interlace is a multilayered, surround-sound music experience made entirely of the composer’s voice. Inspired by the Renaissance motet Spem In Alium by Thomas Tallis, Acevedo Klein composed and recorded each layer of the piece in order to emulate the sound of a large chorus and symphony using her solo voice, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The music that emanates from the house and ancillary speakers transforms into a sonic tapestry, aiming to unite people through music.
Noises In My Head by Joe Mardin
The excerpted scenes featured in this presentation for Sonic Sphere are from the play, Noises In My Head, with sound design and music by Joe Mardin. Written by Turkish playwright Beliz Güçbilmez, the English-language version of Noises In My Head was originally produced at the Theater for the New City in the fall of 2022 and was directed by Manfred Bormann. The production featured actress Defne Halman, who voices the pieces in this presentation.
Enter the music, join the composition, and throw your own ecstatic howl into the massed chorus of voices as the air trembles in song.
Composer Rolfe Kent conducts an experience combining specially composed 360-degree music within Sonic Sphere with choral audience participation to create a sonic medley that resonates through your mind and body. Each session is designed for your input and uses detailed mixes layered with deep dimensional backbeats that rock the dome as you are guided into stunning harmony by Kent. Enchanting, captivating, and wholly unique, this participatory experience is not to be missed.
Participants
Important Details
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Doors open 30 minutes before the program begins; doors close promptly at the ticketed start time, and there is no late seating.
- This program includes flashing lights and strobe effects.
- This program includes haze effects.
- Children under six are not permitted in the sphere; children six to 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
- The sphere’s listening platform is 34 feet off the ground and is reached via three flights of stairs, approximately 50 steps. A lift is available for those with accessibility needs.
- In-the-round seating includes netted lounges and a netted center.
- Wear flat-soled shoes.
- Large bags, backpacks, and tripods are not permitted in the sphere. There is a coat check for these items on the mezzanine level of The Shed.
- Be mindful of small personal items that could become loose and fall from the sphere.
Location and dates
July 11 – 13, 18 – 20, 25 – 27
The Shed is located at 545 West 30th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. View The Shed on a map.
For information about accessibility and arriving at The Shed, visit our Accessibility page.
Accessibility
Entering Sonic Sphere
The listening platform is suspended 34 feet off the ground. It can be reached via three flights of stairs (approximately 50 steps) or an accessible lift.
Seating
Sonic Sphere features a listening platform with netted lounges and a netted center.
Purchasing Tickets
The Shed’s online ticketing system includes the option to submit accommodation requests beyond the access points detailed here.
Contact Us
For questions or other requests, visit the Accessibility page, email accessibility@theshed.org, or call (646) 455-3494.
Related Program
Thank you to our partners
The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund and the Shed Commissioners.
The Shed is connected by