INDEX
The Power of Ultratronics: Breaking Down and Focusing the Listener’s Consciousness
After such an electrifying opening, as the audience feels a tingling sensation throughout their bodies, Ryoji Ikeda appears with remarkable presence. Standing symbolically with minimal equipment and a massive screen behind him, his mere presence seems to represent the very concept of Ryoji Ikeda’s works.
The opening track of the masterpiece ultratronics, “ultratronics00,” begins with a serene pulse, sending shivers down the spine and causing the skin to react. The audience’s bodies twitch, and a heightened sense of awareness spreads throughout the venue. The performance then flows seamlessly into “ultratronics01,” with visuals on the screen that seem to visualize data in black and white monochrome, as the sound and images sync together, piercing through the entire space. While this approach isn’t new—having been used in Ryoji Ikeda’s previous works—this live performance of ultratronics, with its clarity and focus, makes the simplicity and transparency of the experience feel more direct and striking than ever before.
And this is where the essence of the live performance of ultratronics lies. Both the visuals and the music have an outstanding effect in breaking down and focusing the listener’s consciousness to its smallest unit. This is why the light—electromagnetic waves—forming the visuals and the sound—mechanical waves—forming the music, physically impact our bodies as wave phenomena. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the true allure of this performance lies in the ability to refine these elements to the point where they can be perceived as electromagnetic energy or molecular kinetic energy. The dynamics created by the unusually thick bass frequencies, woven throughout, strike our bodies, sometimes even as bone conduction. It serves as a reminder that our skin is a highly functional sensory organ, often referred to as the “zero-th brain,” possessing the capabilities of both hearing and sight.
