Using sound signatures from stars and other celestial bodies mixed with synthesizer sounds, patterns of sounds will be displayed for their unique shapes to determine if unusual patterns can be identified.
The Extraterrestrial Communications Project (ECP): Using synthesizers, ethnic tonal structures combined with the sounds of insects and stellar acoustics to develop a conscious communications link with extraterrestrial intelligences
By Willard Van De Bogart
A participatory performance project which includes indigenous sounds from specific geographical locations as well as entertaining the concept of astrobiological nonlocality and superluminal communication across vast distances of the universe.
April 16, 2013 Introduction:
The Extraterrestrial Communication Project (ECP) is a direct out growth from doing a live performance in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico on Dec. 20, 2012. The audio elements taken into consideration for this desert performance were the unique acoustic qualities in and around Chaco Canyon which is known in the literature as acoustic archaeology. In fact the ampitheatre known as Tse’Biinaholts’a Yalti has been identified as the geometric center of the architectural complex in Chaco Canyon. The sounds anaylzed coming from this natural ampitheatre are amplified and can be heard at great distances in the canyon. Pre-recorded sounds from stars were integrated into the performance and this is known in the literature as stellar acoustics or asteroseismology. Finally the integration of electronic synthesizers, digitized Indian instruments and sounds from other life forms were simultaneously mixed into the composition. The combination of these sound sources that were used in the performance at Chaco Canyon were made keeping in mind a cosmological framework that may have been a part of the spiritual history of the ancient Chacoan civilization. The details of how the ancient Chacoans and Hopi’s used sound in their rituals more than a 1000 years ago is unknown. But what is known is that flutes and bells have been found at excavation sites in the great kivas in Chaco Canyon as well as other artifacts such as the skletal remains of Macaws leading some archaeologists to believe these artifacts were not only related to the ancient Chacon’s spiritual practices but could of been a part of a larger spirital center at Chaoco Canyon.
Photo of Flute H-7270, from room 85, Pueblo Bonito
Photo of Small bell found in Chaco Canyon
The Extraterrestrial Communications Project (ECP) is a development from the experiences gained from using sonic making instruments and pre-recorded sounds within an environment purportedly used to communicate with sprits from other worlds. Frank Waters in his book titled, The Book of the Hopi, elaborates on these Hopi ceremonies whereby the Hopi people were in direct communication with deities and spirits from other dimensions.
This author can testify that a unique sense of a unification of consciousness was experienced in Chaco Canyon during the performance, which has prompted exploration to determine further understanding of the phenomena of universal consciousness integration assisted by combining sounds from stars as well as life forms on earth. Specifically the phenomena that was experienced from using all the sound elements mentioned cretaed a fusion of the natural environment with the astronomical environment whereby a unique state of mind was experienced when making sound in the Chaco Canyon araea.
It was this conscious phenomenon gainned from using a particular combination of sound making instruments that has led to exploring communication within the universe and not limiting that communication strictly to human social communication but to other life forms on earth and conceivably to intelligences in worlds beyond our own. The performace thus became a form of interspecies communication as well as interspatial commuication by using both the natural environment and sounds from space.
Short Personal History with Synthesizers:
My use of the synthesizer first began in 1970 when I attended the California Institute of the Arts and studied with Morton Subotnic who developed the Buchla Music Box 200.
Photo of Musician playing the Buchla Music Box 200
Subotnic develeloped the Buchla Music Box at Mills College before starting at CAL Arts. At the same time Subotnick was demonstrating electronic music on the Buchla Music Box 200 Ravi Shankar was giving performances on his sitar. Theses were my foundation years which eventually led to my playing live electronic music using the Electonic Music Systems’ Synthi AKS throughout the 70’s and early 80’s.
Photo of Willard Van De Bogart playing the Synthi AKS 1972
Fast forward to 2012 and with the introduction of the iPAD in 2010 a new era of digitized synthesizers appeared. Beep Street’s Sunrizer Syn was introduced as well as Moog’s AniMoog and Camel Audio’s Alchemy mobile. Not only were synthesizers being digitized but Indian musical instruments by Swar Systems from Switzerland introduced iShala which combined the tanpura, tabla and harmonium. I immediately integrated these elements into my compositions and it was these new systems on the tablet computer that I brought to Chaco Canyon (shown on title page) and which were responsible for experiencing a new sense of thought fusion.
Preface to the project:
Since Chaco Canyon the idea of being able to use the mind to communicate on a much larger scale beame a working reality. It was also in the early 70’s I became very familiar with remote viewing pioneered by the late Ingo Swan. I used electronic music and laser light in Ingo’s parapsychology exhibition in NYC in 1977 demonstrating the phenomenon of using the mind to experience other realities. Little did I know then that it would lead to a similar endeavor today. Consequently, the ECP was born and a serious endeavor to determine if in fact anyone else was entertaining similar thoughts promted a search on the internet. The results of my serach confirmed my initial hunch and before I describe the detals of the ECP I would like to review the literature which supports the effort behind the ECP.
Project Information
License: BSD 3-Clause LicenseSource Code/Project URL: http://www.southeastasianreview.com/