Upon entering the first chamber, one was immediately enveloped by a distinct range of sounds emitted from two adjacent works—Copy of Pavilion for optimisation (2019) and Stimulate pineal function (2017). To the left, Copy features a video of a live ants nest shown next to an empty formicarium, while a nearby microphone picked up the sound of running water from a showerhead as it hit and filled a bucket. This audio was carried over to and amplified in the last gallery, like an echoed cadence linking the end to the beginning of the opera. This set-up alludes to the ways that natural systems, from the flow of water to the movements of living creatures, inherently follow pathways of optimization, paralleling the universal objective of modern technological development.

In contrast to the seemingly organic sounds from Copy, Stimulate broadcasts a jarring composition of electrical signals from a modified amp, while a screen on top of it plays a YouTube video of a Tibetan singing bowl in use. Juxtaposing ancient meditative practice with the pseudoscientific belief that audio frequencies designed to stimulate the pineal gland improve our wellbeing, this piece plays with the boundaries between traditional spirituality and modern wellness.

Comprising a pair of interlinked ensembles spread across two gallery spaces, Mirza’s new commission, The construction of an act (2019), expands the artist’s investigations into not only the healing potential of audio but also the applications of technology in enhancing aesthetic experiences. A collaborative project developed on site over a series of residencies with composer James Rushford; musicians Jessica Aszodi, Freya Schack-Arnott, and Alexander Garsden; and dancers Julie Cunningham and Chess Boughey, construction culminated in immersive multimedia installations, further activated via the interaction of dancers during a live performance with a sci-fi-esque script by Mirza. In one room, a video work features a collage of various elements including footage of a soprano singing responses to Mirza’s prompts, such as which sound gives her a “calming and meditative feeling.” The other room was configured into a dark, nightclub-like space, with pulsating lights that ran through a suspended LED chandelier syncopated with bass-heavy reverberations. This intermingled with the hypnotic voices and ambient sounds from the previous rooms, evoking a modern, ritualistic atmosphere. Visitors were able to weave through a circle of speakers, transforming the passive viewer into an active participant. 

This active role was eminent in the final gallery, where Stage, Copy of Pavilion, and Step siren (all 2019) intersected in a spatially minimal yet acoustically dense final act of the Mirza’s opera. In Stage, a modular synthesizer sat at the edge of a section of carpet matching that of the previous room, inset with four copper tiles. With the active engagement of human touch, variations of audio frequencies were produced as the electrical circuit in this interactive synthesizer was temporarily completed.

Toward the back of the gallery perched Step siren, composed of three stacked speakers emitting the audible hum of electrical interference created by the interaction of a transistor radio and a motorized fluorescent lamp fed through a drilled hole in a cymbal. As the lamp made its unceasing loops, monstrous shadows were cast on the walls of the cavernous chamber. In the performance finale, the dancers engaged with the rotating light source to materialize their own shadows, evoking the imagery of Plato’s allegorical cave, representing the contrast between subjective, sensory knowledge and actual perceivable truth. Strikingly, the familiar sounds of gushing water from Copy of Pavilion intensified this ominous atmosphere, constructing the illusion of the hall being gradually flooded.

With the current ecological crisis in mind. “The Construction of an Act” appeared as a call to reflect on the ways in which we have abused and capitalized on the natural world, with the exhibition’s finale marking not the completion of the titular act, but the repercussions of environmental inaction.