Metanoia is a surreal cinematic journey through
psychological landscapes, tracing the depths of
transformation as the shifting terrain of the human
mind intertwines with nature. The work reflects a
change in perception: an intuitive mode of being no
longer governed by the need to define or control, but
guided instead by attention, presence, and sensory
participation. Meaning is not imposed, it gradually
reveals itself through the act of looking, listening,
and being with the images.
The title Metanoia is rooted in ancient Greek: meta
“beyond” or “after” and noia “mind” or “thinking.”
In this sense, the performance moves beyond fixed
interpretation and enters a more fluid space of
perception, where thought, matter, body, and
landscape begin to merge.
Metanoia evolves from the artists’ ongoing research
project Pareidolia, developed during their artist
residency at Filmverkstaden as part of the Nordic
Baltic Analogue Adventure program in Vaasa,
Finland, in Spring/Summer 2025. The performance
features footage and photographic material captured
on location in Finland, alongside a series of studio-
based developments created in the artists’ workshop
in Berlin. Here, found natural materials become the
foundation for visual and textural experiments,
extending the work’s analogue and tactile
explorations.
Through these layered processes, Metanoia expands
Bigum+Björge´s investigation of perception,
transformation, and the fragile meeting point
between the human mind and the natural world.
Sound composition
The soundscape of Metanoia is created through a combination of field recordings and live sound processes. Field recordings are captured during our material-gathering journeys, where we collect sounds alongside plants, textures, and organic matter that inform our sculptural and visual works.
These recordings form the basis of a hybrid sound composition that combines live acoustic performance with pre-composed elements. During performance, live sound is generated using contact microphones attached to natural and found materials, amplifying their subtle vibrations, resonances, and internal textures.
Layered beneath this live dimension is a pre-composed soundtrack constructed from field recordings and digitally generated material created with a spectral sound plug-in. In this process, selected images from the visual performance are translated into sound, as light and visual patterns are converted into frequencies through a spectral engine.
This approach draws on the principles of early optical sound technology, reinterpreting them as a contemporary dialogue between image and sound, where perception is translated across sensory boundaries and light becomes tone.
Metanoia is a live expanded cinema performance. A realm of light and shadow blending with sound textures. Moving images and material collages create a dreamlike landscape, awakening something untamed and undiscovered.
Format: live expanded cinema performance, composed for 2x 16mm film projectors, 2 x slide projectors, 1 x modified magic lantern and a mix of electronic pre-composed soundscape and amplified objects, manipulated live
Duration: 35 min
