Concert experience in complete darkness
This year, as part of the Literary Art Festival Muusajuhlat, the Pimé Café Live concert will be held in a completely pitch-black space, offering a chance to experience what it is like to function without the sense of sight.
The concert program, titled How Did a Guide Dog Become an Adult Cat?, will be performed in a fully darkened café setting by the electroacoustic duo Lights/Off, consisting of visually impaired musicians Tuomas Ruokonen (pictured left) and Joose Ojala (pictured right). The duo specializes in multidisciplinary artistic experiences performed in absolute darkness, focusing on the versatile utilization of darkened space and exploring the relationship between humans and constantly evolving technology through artistic means. The pair first met at a university of applied sciences nearly ten years ago, and their paths crossed again in 2024, when they began making music together.
The title of the performance originates from a situation where AI incorrectly described a photo Ojala had taken of his guide dog at the time with the words: "the image shows an adult cat." The photo was taken specifically with an app developed as an aid for visually impaired people.
The incident sparked a wealth of thought regarding the reliability of new technology, as well as the new possibilities opening up through its development. From initial intuitive jamming sessions, a theme exploring the relationship between humans and technology began to sprout and formed the foundation for the entire performance.
"Comprehending darkness as a concept requires a lot
Ruokonen and Ojala share that both of their strengths complement their collaboration. Ruokonen’s perspective as someone with severe visual impairment, living on the border between the world of the blind and the sighted, has guided the performance concept. On the other hand, the ability of Ojala, who has been blind since birth, to independently operate complex music and performance technology in a completely dark environment has made the performances possible on a practical level.
For Ojala, the powerful effect of darkness on sighted people only truly became clear during the performances.
"For me, everything has been routine and normal; comprehending darkness as a concept requires a lot. Only now have I realized on a deeper level that darkness is somehow a significant thing," Ojala states. "Without Tuomas, I would have never even thought that a concept like this could be 'a thing,' and through the performance, I've come to understand how important sight is for those who have it."
Prior to performing as a duo, Ruokonen had performed his own solo drum piece, Teppo's Cottage, at Pimé Café, which he composed while completing his Master’s degree in music in the Netherlands. According to him, the experience invites people to reflect on the role sight plays in their own lives and in society.
"For instance, how many visual stimuli come at us through social media and advertisements. Or how much people make assumptions based on appearance or worry about what they look like in different situations," Ruokonen says.
Audio-described photos as part of the improvisation
The How Did a Guide Dog Become an Adult Cat? concert program is now being performed for the first time outside of Helsinki. According to the pair, the performance has been received as impactful in the capital region.
"It has felt like the café combination has been a really fruitful experience. Senses other than sight are engaged in a truly holistic way, and on top of that, it’s a social situation," Ruokonen explains.
The duo describes the music heard during the performance as a dialogue between human and technology. The music is performed using an accordion, synthesizer, drums, and a drum machine. The compositions themselves are largely improvised, blending acoustic and electronic music.
One of the highlights of the performance is a section where photographs taken by Ojala’s late father are utilized with the help of AI as raw material for improvisations.
"I choose three photos for each gig and ask the AI to generate verbal audio descriptions of them. We have a synthetic voice speak the descriptions and play them from a sampler for the audience to hear. Based on these descriptions, we improvise short songs for each photo according to the feelings the descriptions evoke in us. In the future, once the audience exits the space after the performance, they will get to see the original photographs," Ojala shares. "In the wrong hands, AI is a dangerous tool, but for visually impaired people in particular, it can offer new ways for self-expression and understanding things."
Ruokonen hopes that people will come with an open mind to immerse themselves in a new kind of experience.
"It’s great if our performance increases understanding of what the sense of sight is needed for and what it's like when you don't have it. However, our main goal is to create an interesting, thought-provoking, and holistic artistic experience for people."
Pimé Café Live takes place on August 22, with two sessions available during the day at 13:00 and 16:00. The event includes an introduction into the dark event space, coffee, discussion, a concert, and guidance back out of the space. The event is funded by the Saavuta project and the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired. The event will take place at Studio Muonavarasto in Hiukkavaara.
Photo: Jarno Huhtanen
