Re-Sounding Organs
Re-sounding Organ is a sensorial and spiritual work that emerged from Mille Kalsmose's urge to explore inner life and search for new and ancient healing methods. It was created through a long-standing collaboration with sound healer and psychologist Alex Ashot Ikilikian and neuroscientist Peter Michael Nielsen. Together, they have explored the impact of sound on both the body and the psyche – particularly how vibrations and frequencies can influence our perception of pain and support mental well-being.
The work consists of a 170 cm long black metal basin – same length as the artist's body – elevated on slender metal legs and filled with living algae and mosses. These organisms float in water and respond to a deep, chanting sound that rises through the basin from speakers placed underneath. The vibrations create subtle patterns on the water's surface, evoking the sense of a rhythmic, breathing organ.
The soundscape, created by Alex Ikilikian, alters brainwave activity, affecting cognition and mood. These vibrational frequencies are absorbed by the brain as information. Neuroscientific studies show that specific frequencies can disrupt signals associated with physical pain and depression. This empirical knowledge is intertwined with Ikilikian’s spiritual perspective, viewing sound as a force capable of reconnecting us to ourselves.
The work unites scientific and holistic approaches to sound and is deeply rooted in Kalsmose’s exploration of the relationship between the human inner world, organic structures, and our connection to the natural world.
The soundscape is deeply human – a form of shamanic chanting that induces a meditative, nearly ritualistic atmosphere. The basin conjures associations with a baptismal font, an altar, a cradle, or a sarcophagus. It becomes a space for transformation, where the body’s invisible processes take on form and resonance. The algae and mosses, as oxygen-producing organisms, embody the regenerative power of nature and act as a form of biological memory – a living reminder of our interdependence with the organic world.
Every sound carries a frequency, and every frequency carries information. Sound is vibration, and vibration affects matter. Frequencies don’t just travel through the ears; they interact with the nervous system, the brain, and even our cells. This abstract information is translated into visible form and a sensory experience in Re-sounding Organ, giving presence to our inner life.
Dis-embodied Organ #1 and #2 are two separate pieces, but they are presented and incorporated into one site-specific work. These two pieces are placed in the big basin in the courtyard of CCA. Dis-embodied organ #1 consists of two elements that are standing on three legs. One element is bright red, smooth, and shiny, and shaped like a familiar organ. The other element is made of clay and has more of an amorphous shape, with distinct traces of human moulding that poses a contrast with the eloquent red entity. Depending on its surroundings, this shape will change according to how the clay responds to its surroundings. Dis-embodied organ #2 is also an installation standing on thin metal legs. It is an experiment with ceramics and nano paint. Kalsmose has been experimenting with colour combinations and colour as signifiers that give colour and visibility to psychological states and also function as a way of visualizing the sound-healer’s voice. Both pieces are immersed inside the big basin with algae and placed across one another, in the manner of a set-up of biologic renderings and mental moods.