Illawarra artists Sako Dermenjian and Will Mitry are collaborating to bring the community a unique, immersive experience. Photos: Resonant Dimensions.
An immersive experience blending music, woodwork and breath is coming to the Illawarra’s northern suburbs as two local artists combine their crafts to create a unique event for the community.
Will Mitry and Sako Dermenjian have long appreciated each other’s artistic creations, but the friends had never found the opportunity to bring them together, until now.
What started as an idea to have Will’s wood-carved art pieces exhibited at one of Sako’s concerts, quickly transformed into an opportunity to integrate their practices for something new.
“We’re both deeply passionate about what we do, and we like to express a deep part of ourselves through our artform – through music or sculpture and breath,” Will said. “And we want to share that state of being that we achieve through our artform with others.
“We felt like the combination of the breathwork that I run, the soundscapes that he creates and the sculpture form just makes the perfect melting pot for a deep experience.”
While Sako’s expertise is in creation through music and Will’s is with wood carving and breathwork, the forms have a way of complimenting each other with their creations often coming from similar places.
“I think a really common thing Will and I have is first of all our passion, and then using our art as storytelling,” Sako said.
“When you look at his sculptures it’s so deep and there’s actually so many things that tell a story by itself and this is what I always like to do in my concerts too; I don’t like to just play fun pieces, I like to tell them my story whether it’s about the war or about happiness or about sadness or what we’ve been through – it’s a storytelling through the music.”
Together they have created and curated Resonant Dimensions, a one-of-a-kind experience which will highlight their collaboration through events and exhibitions over one dynamic weekend.
The opening event, Resonant Dimensions Sound Journey, will see participants guided through a breathwork experience enhanced by live soundscapes and surrounded by the carvings.
“It’s about taking people deep into their inner worlds, about allowing them to go on that inner journey of discovery, journey to connect with their passions and their purpose,” Will said.
“The magic of the sounds and the breath gives them the space where they can explore those parts of themselves.”
Another breathwork journey will be held the next morning which will draw on breath and movement to soften mental noise, release stored tension, and reconnect with clarity, intuition and inner wisdom.
The wood carving exhibition will be featured across both days of the weekend and will set the scene at Clifton School of Arts for Sako’s dedicated performance showcasing his emotionally resonant repertoire in an intimate live setting.
“Just being in the building you already feel the energy, so all that combining with beautiful wood carving is a vision that each one tells a story,” Sako said.
“Saturday night we’ll have the Spanish classical guitar concert and we’ll be surrounded with the arts so that will be another experience.
“I think that room is going to be so full of energy.”
And while the unique event is only for a limited time, the experiences could become more widespread, with the duo hoping to share aspects of their collaboration with more people, and integrate them into other artistic experiences.
“We’re using this Friday night session as a prototype that we can potentially grow from,” Will said.
“So the collaboration, the breathwork and the guitar and the soundscapes to see where that goes and potentially take it to festivals and everything around the country – that would be our goal.”
Resonant Dimensions runs from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 May at Clifton School of Arts, with more details and tickets available through the event website.
