The Transcendent Dome: Illuminated Echoes

The Transcendent Dome: Illuminated Echoes transforms a luminous blow-up bubble into a temporary sonic sanctuary for one night only. Part of Nuit Blanche 2026’s Tomorrow’s Memories, and responding to the Aga Khan Museum’s site theme Sacred & Profane, this durational installation runs without pause from 7 pm–7 am.

Outside, visitors experience the Mundane — the honest, unfiltered sound of the everyday city — while lining up around the bubble. Every 40 minutes, Andrew Kay opens a new cycle with a 10-minute gong overture, guiding each group through a portal of sound and light, crossing from the ordinary into the sacred interior.

Inside, a multi-channel surround sound environment of drone, raga-inspired modal soundscapes, and spatially composed field recordings envelops the body completely. Following the gongs, a 20-minute solo performance rotates among Grammy Award–winning bassist Justin Gray (Bass Veena, electric bass, FX), Jonathan Kay (esraj, saxophone), and Andrew Kay (singing bowls, saxophones, winds), with duo sets punctuating the night’s arc: invocation, expansion, dissolution, and renewal.

Curated and Produced by Andrew Kay
Andrew Kay • Composer, Performer, Field Recordings
Jonathan Kay • Performer
Justin Gray • Performer, Immersive Sound Engineering
Violante Binazzi • Field Recordings