Sound Mandala
By Sound Mandala
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Company Name: Sound Mandala
City/State: Kansas City, MO
Ratings: All Ages
Premiere: Yes
Website: Http://www.soundmandala.org
Venue: Olsen Performing Arts Center, UMKC
Show Times:
6:00 PM Friday, July 19
7:30 PM Friday, July 19
9:00 PM Friday, July 19
10:30 PM Friday, July 19
3:00 PM Saturday, July 20
4:30 PM Saturday, July 20
6:00 PM Saturday, July 20
9:00 PM Saturday, July 20
10:30 PM Saturday, July 20
3:00 PM Sunday, July 21
4:30 PM Sunday, July 21
6:00 PM Sunday, July 21
7:30 PM Sunday, July 21
6:00 PM Monday, July 22
7:30 PM Monday, July 22
9:00 PM Monday, July 22
6:00 PM Tuesday, July 23
7:30 PM Tuesday, July 23
9:00 PM Tuesday, July 23
6:00 PM Wednesday, July 24
7:30 PM Wednesday, July 24
9:00 PM Wednesday, July 24
6:00 PM Thursday, July 25
7:30 PM Thursday, July 25
9:00 PM Thursday, July 25
10:30 PM Thursday, July 25
6:00 PM Friday, July 26
7:30 PM Friday, July 26
9:00 PM Friday, July 27
10:30 PM Friday, July 28
3:00 PM Saturday, July 27
4:30 PM Saturday, July 27
6:00 PM Saturday, July 27
7:30 PM Saturday, July 27
9:00 PM Saturday, July 27
10:30 PM Saturday, July 27
7:30 PM Saturday, July 20
3:00 PM Sunday July 28th
4:30 PM Sunday July 28th
Description:
The Sound Mandala is an immersive audio system that distributes sound to dozens of independent loudspeakers and moves sounds through space in ways never heard before. The show will consist of music mixed from the original multi-track sound recordings that are mixed across the many loudspeakers and featuring sounds programmed to move about the space.
Program content will feature pop, rock, jazz and Celtic tracks, and featuring several short scenes with voiced actors and sound effect collages.
The Sound Mandala is a new way of listening to recorded sounds, in a room full of loudspeakers arranged in a matrix allowing for a wide variety of sound distribution and motion. In the auditory domain, the Sound Mandala imitates the visual trick of film motion by placing dozens of loudspeakers into a space organized into a matrix of lines and rows, then dividing, or spreading a sound along these lines and rows to create a sinuous ‘motion’ of sound. This summer the Sound Mandala will present a show on the KC Fringe Festival featuring an 80-loudspeaker channel system in a black box theatre seating 40 people. We refer to the Sound Mandala as a ‘Mecca-concept’----you must go there to have the experience. As this invention becomes commercialized and we experiment with visual images, this Mecca-concept will be a decided advantage to a film presenter---an advantage movie theatres do not enjoy today. The Sound Mandala experience cannot be duplicated in the home or in a car.
Cast/Crew:
Tom Mardikes
Jon Robertson
Thomas Newby
Gianna Agostino
Daisy Melton
Paul Vedros
Sam Toskin
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OUR SPONSORS
Missouri Arts Council
Theater League
Arts KC
NTDF
henderson
VMA
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Check out our program for our selection of shows, events, and more!
KC FRINGE FESTIVAL
P.O. Box 415001
Kansas City, MO 64141-5001
Just saw the first show. It is a mind-opening presentation in a darkened room with no video.
I sat on the edge of a row and recommend trying to sit in the center just in case it could even get better.
Would love to hear much more!
Just hearing Shiny Suit by Mongol Beach Party on this sound system was the price of admission, the other 45 minutes was extra gravy…mind altering, mood enhancing, toe tapping, outside world forgetting extra creamy gravy!
The sound radiates the room from the multiple speakers and how it’s programed that it often feels like the sound is coming from inside my own brain. The use of KC’s best and often overlooked musicians- MBP, Scartaglen, BCR, McGrane / Freling…gives this a unique local sound that while mixed with voice acting and natural and artificial sound makes it a presentation of the highest caliber. Art and technology at the highest level !! Yea, I loved it!
This immersive sound instillation is absolutely a MUST HEAR experience. Moments of sound, albeit music, voice or video game surrounds and moves you in each unique piece. There were moments that I felt as if the instrument or actor was tapdancing on my head with each note or word. This instillation is unlike any piece of art iv ever experienced and I suggest you close your eyes and sit as close to center as possible. It’s a new way to experience sound and one in which limitless possibilities are ripe for the taking. Go experience this one of a kind art piece.
This is definitely the place to be if you want to experience TRUE surround sound. Music by Skippy made me happy. I can’t give this five stars due to the annoying and shouty Unsound Mind which was presented in three two-minute episodes. She reminded me of Disney’s Ursla sometimes, lol.
Still, it’s a fantastic experience as described in the other comments.
I enjoyed this immersive experience! I kept my eyes closed and enjoyed hearing the different variety of music, poetry, and sound exploration. At times I felt in the middle of a band on stage or swirling around the outside of the it. It was exciting to experience the sense of hearing this way!
The room was very dark before, after, and during the piece. I would’ve taken a little more light to find my chair, and would’ve been curious to see more of the speakers and work that went into the room and installation!
We went to the Monday show, when there were no other Fringe shows to go to. It was definitely worth our time, as I’ll probably only experience something like this just once in my life. There were speakers everywhere, including on the floor between our chairs. The sound clarity was very good, and the listening to multiple instruments coming from all directions was entertaining. The PacMan sequence was especially cool, it was easy to imagine PacMan running around the room in 3D, chasing the ghosts.
This is a once in a lifetime kind of experience. Do not miss your opportunity to hear colors and have music feel like it’s moving through you. I felt dizzy from the sound swirling around me.
We saw the Friday July 19 show and my husband adored it. I enjoyed it and was moved (literally) by the swirling sound and the interesting story
The surround sound initially was really interesting. As there is nothing to see but bright lights, closing your eyes made it even more intense. To me it felt like it ran too long and the experience waned.
This is a unique surround-sound experience of musical and spoken word. Not everyone will enjoy it (particularly the spoken word segments), but it is brilliantly performed and the sound technicians deserve special kudos!
Mind… blown.
Where do I buy the album?
As soon as the album for this experience becomes available, I will invest in good speakers in which to re-experience it to the best of my ability. An absolutely breathtaking experience to live inside someone else’s mind for awhile.
A very unique experience. It was relaxing listening to all the sounds and music. I recommend this experience that you won’t find anywhere else
This was a huge treat for those like me who enjoy a phenomenal audio experience. The music was crisp, vibrant, and by nature of the 80-speaker array surrounding you, immersive. The technology really elevates the audio in ways impossible to replicate elsewhere, so it’s exciting to hear what it’s capable of, and thought-provoking for what else this can become.
This was an amazing audio experience. To hear music with such clarity and motion was absolutely thrilling! Having just been to The Sphere for a couple shows, I didn’t think I would experience an even better audio adventure within a month…in KC!
I truly hope the individuals responsible for this incredible creation find a permanent home to develop their ideas even further. This technology needs to be embraced, what a boon for KC.
All I can say is, thank you for giving us the opportunity to hear music this way!