By Connor Holm

Superpose

verb (used with object), superposed, superposing.

1.  to place above or upon something else, or one upon another.
2.  Geometry. to place (one figure) in the space occupied by another, so that the two figures coincide throughout their whole extent.

Ryoji Ikeda’s superposition, coming to the Power Center on October 31, is everything but the ordinary. Constructed around the inexplicable that occurs in our world, the performance is extraordinary in and of itself, not just from the viewers’ perspective. Sound and visuals to convey “physical phenomena, mathematical concepts, human behavior and randomness” will all exist simultaneously, superimposed on each other in one performance. Don’t expect a pulse to come through in the audio, but yours may be apparent as you instinctively understand and question Ikeda’s large-scale manifestation of the microscopic world.

Ikeda’s work as a whole takes individual parts that would most likely be deemed closer to noise than music, and mixes them to create vast imaginative soundscapes of electronic interaction. These soundscapes often slowly develop from simple ticks and hums to complex mixtures of high and low frequencies, beats, murmurs and penetratingly imperceptible changes that sometimes only strike you as they leave the technological world he submerges the listener into. Each moment leaves a new impression, some simple and some that could leave even the most egocentric avant-garde music aficionado speechless.

Superposition is sure to be one of the most impactful and unique performances of the UMS season. Head to see it, and be ready to be haunted by its ghosts to start your Halloween weekend.

To learn more about the performance check out the page on UMS’ website here:

http://ums.org/performance/ryoji-ikedas-superposition/

Or check out the actual performance website here:

http://www.ryojiikeda.com/project/superposition/