DARK: ANTIKYTHERA

Composers: Gabriella Smart and Daniel Pitman
Seaboard Roli Keyboard & Electric Crystal: Gabriella Smart
Audio Design, Sampling, Electronics: Daniel Pitman

DARK: ANTIKYTHERA is a nocturnal outdoor musical work composed and performed by Gabriella Smart and Daniel Pitman that incorporates large scale spatial sound technology and instrument customisations to achieve an immersive and physical audio experience.

DARK: ANTIKYTHERA is intended for pitch black/light ban areas commonly seen in astronomy festivals, around observatories, and during celestial phenomena events such as eclipses or aurora. Each performance takes place within a powerful surround system in total nocturnal darkness, directing the audience’s attention upwards towards the night sky. The music composition adapts to the alignment and association of the stars and planets on each particular night, making each performance outcome unique.

The result is a powerful sound experience that is performed live on customised instruments, designed to be routed through the encircling spatial sound PA system with great affect, directing the audience by sonic and physical sensation to focus on events in the sky above them. The night sky directly influences the foundational score, as on any given night the performers react to the association and predominance of planets, the movement of satellites and comets, and specific unique events.

DARK: ANTIKYTHERA is uniquely designed for presentation in a living-in-a-COVID environment; performed outdoors at night, with the audience bringing their own chairs and refreshments. The audience is seated outdoors in a large circle bordered by a powerful binaural surround system, in total nocturnal darkness that directs the audience’s attention upwards towards the night sky.

DARK is partnered by Museum SA, The University of Adelaide and Production Company 20 Sound, with ongoing consultation with Ben McHenry (Science Centre of the SA Museum), Dr. Kym Thalassoudis (President of the Astronomy Society of SA) and the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance.

DARK is inspired by the Antikythera Mechanism, a delicate clockwork device built by the ancient Greeks circa 70 BC that predicted the position of the stars and planets and a range of important celestial events. Only two of these devices, celebrated as the original ancestor of the modern computer, were ever built. Their value was immense, and nothing of this mechanical intricacy would be seen again until the early 14th century.

Following a creative development period at Oratunga Station, DARK: ANTIKYTHERA premiere on 12 August 2022 at the Port Augusta Golf Club, as part of Chamber Music Adelaide’s On The Terrace in Port Augusta.

Read Chris Reid’s review of the premiere performance in Limelight Magazine.

This project was support by an Arts South Australia Project Grant.