The grandness of Moana Hall provides a backdrop of unspoken spirituality to an evening of sound and connection. In the centre of the space, Jessie Gordon and Mark Turner create a decorative and inviting world of instruments strewn with foliage and fairy lights. The setting is tranquil, hinting at what is to come.

What is to come is a transformative hour of improvised looping music, curated by the pair amidst the leaves and lights. Mark uses a variety of instruments, playing and looping sound in wordless conversation with Jessie, who records and loops sung poetry and borrowed lyrics. Their process appears seamless. It is captivating to watch the performers interact and evolve, as we bask in the consequences of their choices.

Mark’s instrumental skills are on par with their technical, as they effectively braid the sounds they create together to create something entirely new. Jessie’s voice is consistently evocative, with lyrics and with sound alone. Together they are unshakeable.

The effect of the layering of sounds in a large hall, improvised to respond to the energy in the room, is the creation of a transfixing, water-like quality that makes you feel as though you are floating in the sound. This in turn creates a meditative space brimming with possibility. We are encouraged to interact with this space as needed — to move around, lie down, think, not think, go to the bar, step outside for fresh air — and the performers absorb our actions and respond. The music is a journey and the audience is a participant. Our presence is a key factor in this arrangement, and communion is created from our bodies next to one another, sharing a space and experience.

Like the steady flowing of a river, the hour passes quickly, leaving us tranquil and transformed.

From our first steps into Moana Hall, through an hour’s captivating meditation, to an inevitable foray back out into the world again, Calm transfixes and soothes its audience.