Take Part in Bompas & Parr's Supernatural Sound Installation VOICE OF GOD

Hilton London Bankside will host Bompas & Parr's supernatural voice installation, VOICE OF GOD, for the first time from 29th September - 2nd October as part of the eclectic MERGE Bankside, the annual arts festival in Bankside, London SE1.

Bompas & Parr has worked with acoustic scientists to design and build a sound-based installation that appears to connect you with the supernatural. The installation, Voice of God, uses submitted voices, transposed to infrasound, to give visitors the impression of a ghostly or divine experience.

Voice of God is a world first, the only time that infrasound has been creatively used to give people a spectral visitation. The physical installation poses questions about consciousness, our perception of the physical world and our understanding of the supernatural. What's more it will allow anyone to use the power of their voice to give others ecstatic visions.

A custom sound system created by TPI Sound is being embellished with archivolts, tympanums and flying buttresses, the architectural language of the gothic cathedral, and will broadcast infrasound at 19 Hz. This frequency is below the regular hearing threshold of human but is the resonant frequency of the human eyeball! These low-frequency vibrations can cause the eyeball to distort activating the rods and cones through pressure rather than light.

The soundscape itself is being created by composer Dom James. Guests are invited to use your own voice 'the Voice of God' to trigger seemingly supernatural and divine visions through the medium of sound. Create a spoken message and submit your entry to VoG@bompasandparr.com by 15th September for inclusion. This will transposed down to 19Hz so it makes spectators' eyeballs vibrate.

Psychologist Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire thinks that the odd sensations that people attribute to religious and supernatural experiences may be caused by infrasonic vibrations. The effect is said to range from ghostly apparitions to sparkling lights and geometric patterns - akin to the effect generated by pressing your fingers into your eyes hard! Effectively spectators have a profound psychedelic experience without fear of a comedown.

General Manager at Hilton London Bankside, James Clarke, comments: "We're extremely excited to be hosting the 'Voice of God' installation at Hilton London Bankside for our first year of participating in MERGE festival, since we opened our doors in October last year. Set in our fantastic indoor pool, this sensory installation is going to provide an extraordinary experience for our guests and visitors to enjoy. As a fellow SE1 business, we are thrilled to partner with Bompas & Parr and continue to grow the cultural emphasis on design which is found in Bankside and here throughout our hotel'."

Caroline Jones, Curator of MERGE Bankside notes: "Bompas & Parr have always brought an element of the weird and wonderful to MERGE, fusing art and science in unusual locations in Bankside. We're delighted to have them featured in the programme again this year and expect another inimitable experience."

Harry Parr, Director of Bompas & Parr comments: "This project is particularly relevant today as belief in ghosts is growing. A MORI poll in 1950 pegged belief in ghosts at 10%. The 2007 Survey on Beliefs placed belief at almost 40% with 36% claiming to have seen a ghost. Now everyone can use their own voice to contribute to that sort of profound experience.

"The system will be designed to look like a battling carnival sound system tricked out by a visionary medieval master builder. Architectural features such archivolts, tympanums and flying buttresses frame the speakers and subs. The architectonic speakers make for an eminently photographable piece, one that demands visitors genuflect, saying 'on your knees,' in a stentorian voice!"

Entry is free with no pre-booked ticket required. Entrance on a first come, first in basis

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