Sonoluminescence is an audiovisual work composed by Nathaniel Haering in collaboration with visual artist Mingyong Cheng and written for the instrumental trio, in^set.
The piece is inspired by the concept of Sonoluminescence, the phenomenon of turning high-intensity, ultrasonic sound into light. Under extremely precise conditions, sound waves can be used to trap and suspend miniscule air bubbles in a liquid filled flask; when injected with the flask’s resonant frequency, the bubbles suddenly, rapidly cavitate, collapsing in on themselves and erupting into flashes of light, causing their tiny interiors to reach temperatures of many thousands of degrees for a fraction of an instant. Early research even proposed that thermonuclear fusion could be achieved within these minute bubbles and the exact cause of these flashes is still contested today.
Sonoluminesence explores this phenomena and evocative interaction through the creation of an immersive sonic and visual experience, enveloping the audience in light and sound, fusing live, interactive projections, real-time generated surround-sound electronics, live audio processing, and acoustic performance into a visceral, encompassing trans-perceptual work. Exploring concepts of mimetic engulfment, audio-visual synchresis, and luminosonic and cross-model objects, this interdisciplinary, multisensory, collaborative event will celebrate and unify experimental art, science, and technology to communally generate an experience that will place the audience in the center of the action and challenge any preconceived divisions between human senses as light, sound, and live performance fuse into one inseparable, trans-sensory expressive entity.