Public Transport Songlines
Performed in April, 2003 at 11.30pm
This work is dedicated to the abstract vocalists of the 1970's and graphic designers who transposed the technicolour rainbow of Mike Larson's hair onto transport infrastructure maps.
The performance involved creating a human vibrational resonance reproducing the specific hertz and amplitude of each tone in correlation to the human body's seven chakra's.
The experiment was to activate the train carriage and make it a conductor for a series of specific frequencies. It is theoretically possible to synchronise the combined energy patterns of the passengers with the mechanical rhythm of the train wheels, this in turn, creating a larger vibrational rhythm entrainment, included also are the heartbeat, brainwaves and breathing patterns all syncing in to create one large collective conductor for that specific chakra.
The Sydney transport map has 8 different coloured routes using colours that correlate to 6 of the 7 human body's main energy centres the chakras.
Muladhara-root- red Swadhisthana-sacral-orange manipura solar plexus- yellowanahata- heart-green Vissudha- throat- bright blue, ajna- third eye- Indigo, sahasrara- crown- violet to white.
The train line for The northern line(berowa- North Sydney via strathfield and the central coastline is designated with the colour red. The colour with the longest wavelength and slowest vibration in the visible spectrum.It is Muladhara- the root support, it's element being earth and it's anatomical correlate is the perineum.In yogic writings each chakra is described as emiting a different sound,the base chakra emits a hum that has been likened to that of a sound of a buzzing bee. The Illawara train line to Waterfall/Cronulla - Bondi Junction is part of the blue line, the Vissudha- throat chakra train track. This is my home line and the frequency sound is ee.
All participants met at Central train station, where most of the train lines converge in the city district of Sydney. Over a time frame of four hours, some of the lines were travelled for certain distances and for varying times.
The frequency vocalists, Annabel, Nicole, Carla, Cherie, Jacky, Jacqueline,and Sava all participated in a series of sustained frequency sequences in cycles of continous 5 second bursts whilst moving along the length of the train's carriage in the direction of it's trajectory.
In terms of the history of the Sydney rail network, it opened on 26 September 1855 with a modest track length of 22kms from the city to parramatta (Vissudha- throat chakra) to now become a network which covers 11,000kms statewide, a potential Chakra grid for the greater area of Sydney.
