1:48:00

Sound performance on the Cosmonautics Day, 12 April 2016
VDNKh (Exhibition of Economic Achievements), square in front of Kosmos ("Space") pavilion
Concept

One hour and forty-eight minutes (9:07 – 10:55) – this is the time period from the moment when rocket site arms let go of the Vostok space ship and its first-stage engines started and to the moment when Gagarin set his foot on Earth again. And this is the duration of our audiovisual performance.

A model of Vostok in VDNKh is the place of power where we are planning to bring our sound installation to life. It consists of three parts: Start, Flight and Landing.
...I can hear frames taken apart from the rocket, some soft pushes, but I can feel things touching the rocket and the supporting structures. I can feel the rocket staggering a little. Blowing-down procedure began, sound of valves flapping. Launch. Entering the preliminary stage. Ignition on, engines start, noise. Then the intermediate stage, the degree of noise was as if I was flying in a plane. Anyway, I was ready for a louder noise. It began moving upwards so smoothly that I did not even notice when exactly it happened...
Yuri Gagarin
the first cosmonaut
The multi-channel ambisonic sound system built on the basis of the existing notification and accompaniment system in the square and complemented by high-quality sound sources around the launch pad brings the listener inside the metal capsule and to the top of the fire column streaming into space. We want the audience to hear and feel what Yuri Gagarin felt during his flight – the power of the rocket and the silence of space.
...I had an abrupt feeling of separation. There was a clap, then a push, the capsule was still rotating. All indices on the panel of instruments went off. There was only one line flashing: "Get ready for bailout." Then I felt braking begin... notices it, so I put my feet on the seat... This is when I acquired the pose for bailout and waited.
The spaceship rotation slows down, in all three axes at the same time. The spaceship was now swaying at the angle of 90 degrees to the left and to the right. It did not make a complete turn around. In the other axis there were also swaying movements with a slowdown. At that time, the Vzor viewing port was closed by a curtain, but I could see bright red light appear along the edge of the curtain. I could see the same red light in the small opening of the right viewing port...
Yuri Gagarin
the first cosmonaut
The visual decoration is reduced to a minimum – it is like light and flame flashing in small viewing ports of the capsule to add more emphasis to the audio performance. Multi-channel music for the performance will be composed specially for this project by talented young Russian musicians and performed in a live show format. This is going to be a combination of space-like electronic music and "earthly" classical instruments.

The show record will be transformed into a sound sculpture – sit-specific which is planned to be played permanently by using a created and adjusted setup pattern.
Participants

Dmitry Yevgrafov — pianoforte, electronics;
Jan Amit — electronics;
Ksenia Bashmet — pianoforte;
Asia Sorshneva — theremin and electrical violin;
German Popov — electronics.

Collaboration is possible with video artists (Sila Sveta, Raduga Design)
Program

Master classes
  1. Theory and practice of spatial sound. TBA.
  2. Psi-garden – activation and reorganization of sensor channels. Synaesthesia. German Popov.
  3. Politekh and his program may also participate.

Music events
  1. 1:48:00 – performance. Dmitry Yevgrafov and Jan Amit.
  2. Asia Sorshneva Ksenia Bashmet – modern classical music (violin, pianoforte, theremin).
  3. German Popov, Dmitry Grafov. Live electronic performance and laser graphics.