Same melody. Different instruments.
एक स्वर, दो रूप।

Antara was presented at Carnegie Library, Dun Laoghaire, in a hall with high ceilings and wooden floors - 22 by 19 feet, 14 feet high. At the centre stood a freestanding double-sided structure carrying two paintings and two speakers, one facing each half of the room.

The paintings depicted Goddess Saraswati in two forms: one in fluid, curved brushwork mirroring the continuous motion of microtonal ornamentation; the other a cubist fragmentation of the same image. Beneath, a peacock blue silk saree was draped in a wave shape. The floor carried a maroon carpet with intricate symmetric patterns. Electric candles and lamps created the meditative atmosphere the music required.

Side A

Mural — Fluid & Continuous

Side B

Cubist — Fragmented & Fixed

A Z Game Audio Visualizer running in FL Studio changed the ambient light colour with each raga, giving a visual cue without naming what was playing. A screen showed interview footage. An iPad with GeoShred and a physical flute invited visitors to feel the difference themselves.

Each chosen for a different emotional world.

Three melodic frameworks from Indian classical music, each representing a distinct register and a different argument about what microtonal identity means.

What twenty listeners heard.

Visitors completed structured response forms comparing the flute and keys sides across the three ragas. Twenty responses were collected. Seventeen respondents were musicians; three were non-musicians. Age range 25 to 66 years.

Two musicians. Two traditions.
The same question.

Ninety-minute structured interviews with two practising musicians, each including live demonstrations. Both sessions are compiled into a single video document.

Supporting materials.

All research documents are available below.

Abhinav K Jayan