During the summer, Frameless, a 30,000 square-foot venue in the heart of London, hosted Brainstorms: A Great Gig In The Sky. The show blended music and art with the latest neuroscience and technology, in an exploration of how our minds respond to music. The immersive experience came from Brainstorms, a joint venture between San Francisco-based creative studio Pollen Music Group and Richard Wright Music Limited, bringing to life the results of the Brainstorms research project that took place last autumn. Driven by a mutual admiration for the beautiful and haunting simplicity of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wrightâs songwriting, the Brainstorms team themed the experience around the concept behind the iconic Pink Floyd track The Great Gig in the Sky. Visitors travelled through the four main Frameless galleries which each featured stunning sky-themed creative visualisations of the human brain’s response to music, from mesmerising cloud formations and mystical auroras to starling murmurations and an eclipse. The whole experience was designed to communicate how people respond to music, while enhancing the listening experience by enveloping individuals inside the songs like never before. Gala Wright, curator and Artistic director at Brainstorms and daughter of Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, said, “The visual representation of brain data provides an accessible and intuitive way to see how a piece of music can be a deeply personal yet also powerfully shared experience. Questioning how this is true for my father’s compositions is a key motivation for me bringing this concept to life with Pollen. The added benefit of bringing awareness to his musicality through the Brainstorms project serves to augment his legacy.” To create the visuals for the centrepiece experience, 125 individuals had their brain activity recorded while listening in unparalleled clarity and depth through immersive sound Dolby Atmos to Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky from The Dark Side of the Moon. The instrumental track, which was the creation of Richard Wright, features Clare Torryâs voice as an instrument in place of lyrics so was deemed a perfect piece for the largest data collection of its kind. The EEG readings of brain activity, which was showcased within the experience, were captured at Dolby by the neuroscience experts within the Pollen Music Group team and reflect the participantâs excitement, interest, relaxation and stress felt whilst listening to the track. Now, Pollen Music Group are aiming to bring this groundbreaking venture to the US and is seeking partnerships with immersive venues and networking organizations interested in evolving the show for its US debut. “We’re proud to have successfully executed a high-level concept from inception to delivery that was enormously well-received at one of the most prestigious immersive venues in the world,” said Richard Warp, Chief Technology Officer at Pollen. “We’re excited to partner with visionary venues in the US who can help us realize the full potential of this unique experience.” US-based immersive experience venues interested in hosting Brainstorms in their location can reach out to Pollen directly at partners@pollenmusicgroup.com. Once a suitable venue has been arranged, we will update you with dates, tickets and so on, so those in the US can also experience this event.
