For one hypnotic night only, The Lab on Light Square was transformed into a portal between the organic and the electronic, guiding Fringe-goers through a mesmerising fusion of sound, light, and nature's invisible language. Created by electronic artists CZUCHWICKI and innerælchemist, Hidden Signals was an immersive audiovisual performance that wasn’t merely a DJ set, but a sensory exploration of the space where the digital and natural meet.
To open the show, innerælchemist brought the audience deeper into nature’s secret symphony. His sonic world was built from the bioelectric activity of plants, birdsong, and flowing water. All recorded in the Adelaide Hills, the natural sounds were rendered into an ambient tapestry that was as emotionally stirring as it was technically innovative. There was a tranquillity beneath the surface of the sounds, a reminder that even the stillest forest is full of unseen life and rhythm. The idea that plants “speak” in electrical pulses, translated into immersive sound, gave the performance sense of awe for Earth’s natural wonders. One highlight was when innerælchemist got the audience to all sit on the ground in a meditative state to be at one with the sounds.
Free packets of seeds (I got everlasting strawflowers) were available to all audience members, encouraging them to register to help plant 58,000 native seedlings across 29 hectares at Bio R’s tree planting festival in June.
After a brief intermission, CZUCHWICKI’s hypnotic rhythms pulled the audience into a trance-like state. With a range of electronic influences, his live drumming and controller work offered more than just sound, it offered sensation. Audio-reactive visuals pulsed and danced in real time on the digital screens surrounding the space. Inspired by the phenomenon of phosphenes (flashes of light seen without external stimuli) his performance blurred the line between what is heard, what is seen, and what is simply felt. CZUCHWICKI sang into his vocoder over the layered beats, walking through the mesmerised crowd.
Together, the two artists offered a collaboration that was as visually stunning as it was sonically spiritual. The Lab’s intimate space, with its high-end visuals and surround sound, became a living organism, reacting, shifting, glowing. Whether standing still in awe or swaying with the soundwaves, audience members were clearly captivated, eyes wide and minds open.
Hidden Signals was part concert, part rave and part art installation. It was an invitation to tune into frequencies beyond our ordinary perception, to let nature and machine speak the same language, and to feel rather than think.
In an age of overstimulation and digital noise, Hidden Signals offered a rare moment of deep sensory clarity and the opportunity to switch off. Let’s hope this “one night only” experience returns next year.
**** Four stars.