Orobouros by Robin Parmar :: January 24, 2008; 7:30 pm :: premiering at Excursions 2008 Performance Art Festival, Belltable, 69 O’Connell Street, Limerick, Ireland.

The piece takes its name from the snake which forever eats its own tail. It is most often seen as the principle of eternity and indeed of the universe itself. But it also represents a feedback loop, and hence the mind of the subject viewing it. In the centre of the Belltable gallery is a microphone, standing alone. A hum of energy fills the space, textured noise emanating from a number of radios scattered throughout. The celebrant enters, bearing an additional radio. As he approaches the microphone the sound becomes more complex; a controlled feedback loop establishes itself in the system. Movements are minute; each fractional change in position of his body subtly alters the texture of the enveloping sound.

The cybernetic feedback loop is the simplest model for human consciousness. A mechanism consisting of a microphone, radio transmitter and radio receiver is enough to instantiate this model in a confined space. The celebrant becomes an intimate part of the equilibrium, representing the integration of mind and body, without which consciousness cannot exist.

This project has been supported by Daghdha Dance Company.