HORNS EPIPHANY
(provisional title)
vibration — altered states of consciousness — resonance — wind instruments — cultural celebrations
Scenic creation for five performers about frequency, sound vibration and altered states of consciousness.
This research focuses on the neurological impact of sound and light, exploring how different frequencies and durations of vibrations can significantly affect brain behavior.
BREATH
Acknowledging that the human body, as a system, is deeply influenced by external elements, this research aproaches the cultural relationship between sonic vibration and moments of social ecstasy by investigating wind instruments across various cultural traditions.
Instruments such as the tuba, zurna, koné, bagpipes, pipe organ, sho, and Haitian vuvuzela play distinct cultural roles in events like Rara, Easter, Carnival, Gagaku, and other collective celebrations, which provide a shared space for transcendent, euphoric, and synesthetic experiences.
COGNITIVE AND HALLUCINATORY ACTIVITY
Human brain waves are associated with different states of consciousness and cognitive functions — Delta (0.5-4 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz), Alpha (8-12 Hz), Beta (12-30 Hz), Gamma (30 Hz +).
These variations reflect shifts in mental and emotional activity, influenced by different states of consciousness, from deep relaxation to intense cognitive activity.
During psychosensory, ecstatic or meditative experiences, brain activity can be characterised by theta and delta waves due to the induction of relaxation, promoting dreaming, hallucination, creativity, introspection, and memory.
Gamma waves can also emerge, leading to experiences of clairvoyance, heightened awareness, concentration, and mental synchronicity associated with “epiphanies.”
Many artists throughout history have sought these hypnagogic states. Horns Epiphany draws deep inspiration from hallucinatory experiences induced by the “Dream Machine,” a rotating light device created by Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs and popularized during the Beat Generation.
CREATION PROCESS
The creation process will focus on the musical composition and choreographic spatialization of a set of static melodies and circular rhythms, dissonant and harmonic chords, exploring the expressive potential of wind instruments and testing how sound shapes individual perception and collective experience. Since 2019, Miranda has developed these themes with the COBRACORAL project, a vocal trio dedicated to intricate polyphonic singing, exploring the polyphonies, volumes, and spatial aspects of voice, choreographing it in relation to the body, gesture, and acoustics of the surrounding space.
EXOSKELETON & NEON LIGHT
The performers’ bodies, here seen as a “static wind-breathing system-machine,” are covered by an external bone-like structure — an exoskeleton — that supports body musculature and carries various musical instruments. A fictional physiology mediates the functionality of body and instrument.
Furthermore, the 3D designs of these bone structures will be used as two-dimensional symbols for creating neon lights.
These luminous signs mark the different moments of the piece, emphasizing the synesthetic relationship between sound and light perception.
This research into sensory manipulation and altered realities continues the fictional and dramaturgical aesthetic of Catarina Miranda’s previous works, such as REIPOSTO REIMORTO (2015), a rotating stage machine with a soundtrack composed by Jonathan Saldanha from church organ recordings; CABRAQIMERA (2021), where hybrid bodies challenge conventional perceptions of identity and physical gravity; and ΛƬSUMOЯI (2024), which explores ghostly landscapes and an apotropaic space.
HORNS EPIPHANY seeks to emphasize the potential of liminal states through the experience of resonant soundscapes and luminous vibrations, where the body becomes an agent of exaltation, evoking and stimulating psycho-sensory experiences and making use of the performative dimensions of gesture, sound, and light.
PARTNERS (in progress)
HORNS EPIPHANY comes from an invitation by Companhia Instável (PT) to Catarina Miranda to design a quintet based on her themes and aesthetics.
The project is produced by Companhia Instável (PT), with co-production from Teatro Municipal do Porto (PT) and research residency at La Palleira (ES).
PREMIÈRE is scheduled for February 2026 at Teatro Municipal do Porto.