MESMERISM Autumn Festival

Overview

A festival dedicated to listening? You probably think you've been there and seen that before. MESMERISM isn't just a music event, however. Don't expect bands on stage, crowds standing around, or the hustle and bustle that you're familiar with.

In its autumn outing, MESMERISM is dedicated to the aural experience, rather than just the acts that make our heads hum and the melodies that make our feet dance. An offshoot of sound and visual artist Luke Jaaniste's residency at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts throughout 2015, it offers a series of sonic immersions of ambient noise designed to entrance your body, mind and soul — or, 'full-body listening', which might just be our new favourite term.

You'll enter an emptied out, darkened performance space filled with cushions, where you can lie down, sit or walk around — the choice is yours. On Friday night, you'll bathe in wave propagations and sonic palpitations. On Saturday, you'll consume experimental electronica and beat-based music as a fully spatial experience. Whether you go along to one or both, prepare to have your perspective changed. This isn't just sound — it's art.