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Ataraxia is a Greek word.
It means “imperturbability” or “tranquility” and relates to an untroubled
and tranquil condition of the soul. As described by philosopher Pyrrho,
the Epicurus and the Stoics, Ataraxia is characterized by “ongoing
freedom from worries”.
I imagined Ataraxia as a destination, an inner place in the mind,
charted not by the axes of latitude and longitude, but by psychology
and philosophy. The work concept had two inspirations: first,
the modular analog synth unique musical creative possibilities.
Second, the feelings and learnings related to my eldest daughter
challenging experience of battling depression while searching
deep inside her Self for herself.
Into the Hidden chamber [overture]
It’s where fragments of memories, snapshots of personal experiences,
smells, sounds, fears and constructed views of reality, are privately and
secretly kept. It’s a vast lonely place but meaningful and revealing, like
a closed museum on Mondays.
The Aisle of 5 Doors
It’s been said that there are 5 levels of consciousness.
I think of them as doors which open to different perceptions and
awareness about ourselves and the world. One of them is the door
to the consciousness of who we are as individuals. It seems to me
that the other 4 in the aisle can open more easily if the key to this first
one is found. The key is Knowledge, self-knowledge.
Knowledge is always key, isn’t it?
Angstown
A nickname for all big cities where pressure, insecurity, stress
and anxiety charge a big daily toll in serotonin. It’s where life is
always on the fast lane and the mind is constantly trying to keep
the self sufficiently distracted and busy to not be aware of what
really lies within.
In Angstown some people go to the bar, some go to the drugstore,
and some try to escape it on holidays and weekends.
From Alley to Valley
An analogy for illustrating the feeling of getting out of squeezing
stressful moments to a state of relief. From narrow to wide.
From darkness to light. Surprisingly, the light at the end of the tunnel
is something that a lot of people search for without noticing that
the only way to get to it is to understand first what is that tunnel
before the light.
Dive in
Even if both actions point downwards, diving is not falling.
As an archetype, “The Fall” is described as a descent from
a higher to a lower state of being - from innocence and bliss to loss.
On the other hand “To Dive In” is metaphorically meant as a voluntary
descent from a superficial state of knowledge to a deeper one - from
ignorance to acknowledgment. So, going down in this case ultimately
leads upwards. One thing is certain: you won’t find yourself in shallow waters.
A Deeper Depth
So far, the record for the deepest dive in history is set at 36,000 feet
at Mariana Trench on the west Pacific, the point most distant from the
water’s surface on Earth. Ironically, even at such extreme depth,
that diver may still have remained superficial.
Tresouq
Tresouq is an anagram to “Quetros”, a medication prescribed
as antipsychotic. I created the anagram for naming a dark sinkhole
I imagine existing at the abyssal plain of our fears.
Light at the Hadal Zone
The Hadal Zone is the deepest region of the ocean.
Its name refers to Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld.
But while sunlight progressively fades into darkness
when diving towards the bottom of the Hadal Zone,
the opposite happens in a self-awareness dive
because the deeper one goes, the clearer things get.
At the Bottom
Getting at the bottom of things is challenging, whether it is
at the bottom of places like the Great Blue Hole, or in the depths
of the mind. I don’t know about the first one but I do know that
those who hit rock bottom in life and bounced back fear
very few things in the world.
Arrival
So we all have our Comfort Zone, that stable but stoney ground
with as many rocks as dormant things conveniently held under them.
We can either sit down and rest on those rocks the entire life, or go
lifting them to deal with what lies underneath. The rocks may be big and
heavy but it’s perfectly possible to remove them since we were the ones
who actually laid them there in the first place.
Ataraxia
The French writer André Gide once said: trust those who seek
the truth but doubt those who say they have found it. So, perhaps
Ataraxia is as mythical as Atlantis. But it’s the journey, not the
destination that is important, because even if the place is a metaphor,
the quest for self-awareness and knowledge creates understanding
and peace of mind. I guess that truth lies in the searching and not
necessarily in the finding.
Of Oceans and Minds.
The idea of using the water and oceans as a symbolic element in this work came naturally as a consequence of the subject matter it intends to explore. Depth, pressure, darkness and light, search and discovery, are all elements related to the ocean as well as to the mind. So, the analogy between the Sea and the Self became the creative narrative compass in Journey to Ataraxia words and images whereas the music is intended to be the connection between these two elements. It’s odd now a days when we as humans are actively exploring the stars and space that the ocean – this vast and unknown area occupying 2/3 of our own planet – remains greatly unexplored. We have a very superficial knowledge about this liquid cloak and what lies
beneath it, much in the same way that we in general have a superficial knowledge about our inner self. In both cases it seems easier for us to look at the outsides than at the insides. The idea of the girl figure immersed in a deep blue space came from the observation of various and frequent images on the internet showing different human figures underwater. In the JTA project case however, I wanted to leverage that idea by going visually further and producing a dedicated photo essay with friend and gifted photographer Paulo Vainer in a special deep water pool. The iconic female figure in dreamlike state became then the representation of the human process of “diving” into oneself own mind, which was inspired by the true experience of
my daughter. There are also some existing photos which were creatively manipulated and changed to gain a new meaning in a new context. The picture from The Tanks area at the Tate Modern building in London is one of them. I used it literally as a water tank to create the chamber with the girl figure inside it as the title of the music “Into the Hidden Chamber” visually asked for. The image on “Angstown” is also a creative take on an existing different image, this time from an “anime”. The other images came from John Kowitz amazing high quality and expressive shots as a great underwater photographer. I wonder where his mind goes when he dives down.
Project concept, texts, visual ideas and music
created, produced and performed by ALEGAMA.
Recorded at Gamastudio in São Paulo-Brazil from
February to December 2020. Mixed by ALEGAMA
and mastered by Classic Masters in the USA.
Instruments:
Rhodes Piano Bass, Moog Sub Phatty, Make Noise Shared System, Make Noise O-Coast, ARP 2600, Gama Eurorack 1, Yamaha GrandPiano, 1995 Custom DeLuxe A.C.Zemaitis guitar and B.C. Reverend guitar.
Effects:
Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff, Strymon Big Sky, Moogerfooger LowPass Filter and Ring Modulator, Softwares: Logic Pro X, UAD Chromaverb and Eventide H910 Harmonizer plugins.
Photos by Paulo Vainer and John Kowitz.
Special thanks to Claudia, Stella, Lui, Ulisses Rocha, Mariah Bayeux, Paulo Vainer, Hélio Rosas, Lucas Lamounier and the power of synthesis when modulated by heart, soul and creativity.
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