Das Paradies Und Die Peri
Client: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Artist: Refik Anadol
For the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s very first performances of Schumann’s rarely- performed oratorio Das Paradies Und Die Peri, Refik Anadol Studio created a data sculpture driven by machine intelligence to float above the stage and provide a surface for projections. Using an algorithm which followed the digital notation, The Studio created a real time rendering on top of the sculpture. The sculpture itself represented the entirety of the score, with approximately every third of a second of the oratorio plotted in six-dimensional space in order to create the final form. In addition, this piece used real time sound analysis to combine both human and machine perception, transforming the audio experience of the score into a visual counterpart to be experienced simultaneously by the audience.
Peter Sellers with Refik Anadol and Gustavo Dudamel
The music takes inspiration from the poem Lalla-Rookh composed in 1843 by Thomas Moore. To interpret the poem, Anadol created “Peri” as a “tear from heaven” sculpted by machine intelligence. It listened and interacted with the LA Phil and LA Master Chorale throughout the performance, conversing through changes in form and color in reaction to scenes. Below is the poem, Paradise and the Peri.
