Kelas Tidur 2.0 (Sleep Class 2.0)
Kamal Sabran
Kelas Tidur 2.0 (Sleep Class 2.0): The Healing Machine is a continuation of my ongoing performance series exploring sound as medicine and sleep as ritual. In this new iteration, the work transforms an obsolete analog device; the Kodak Carousel Slide Projector into both a sound instrument and visual healer.
I will develop a special setup for this performance, merging mechanical sound, projected light, and stillness into a meditative audiovisual experience. Each slide within the carousel will be hand-painted and manipulated, containing abstract, conceptual visuals that symbolically suggest healing, restoration, and inner calm. As the slides move, the projector produces a rhythmic mechanical pulse; a tactile, breathing rhythm that becomes the core sound source of the performance. Using microphones, I will capture and amplify the projector’s internal movements, creating layers of ambient soundscapes through live manipulation and looping. Each shift of a slide triggers both sound and image, uniting the visual and sonic dimensions in one synchronized act.
The performance invites the audience to sit or lie down, resting within a dimly lit room. The atmosphere is intimate; a space of collective stillness, where light, shadow, and frequency merge into a contemplative field of healing. The aim is not entertainment, but rest orationan invitation to listen inwardly, to experience how obsolete technology can become a medium of transformation.
Kamal B. Sabran (Ipoh) is a Malaysian artist, academic, and researcher whose work explores the intersections of art, science, technology, and spirituality. He received his Ph.D. in Art and Design (New Media) from Universiti Teknologi MARA. His interdisciplinary practice focuses on art-based interventions for mental health and well-being, integrating experimental sound, performance, and electronic media into contemplative frameworks of healing.
In recognition of his innovative practice, he received the Malaysian National Art Gallery’s “Best New Media Artist Award” (2004) and the “Best NOKIA Music Video Director Award” (2005). He has also held prestigious residencies, including at the Malaysian National Space Agency (2005) and as Musician-in-Residence at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, California (2015). In 2022, he was invited to participate in the Venice Art Biennale, marking another milestone in his international trajectory.
He is the founder of the Space Gambus Experiment, a collective dedicated to experimental music, and the USM Experimental Lab, a creative laboratory fostering new interdisciplinary art practices. His collaborations include award-winning film scores with acclaimed directors such as Mamat Khalid, Shanjhey Kumar, Tan Chui Mui, Ho Yuhang, and Pete Teo, among others.
Currently serving as a Senior Lecturer at the School of the Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), continues to advance research in the fields of sound, healing, and creative technology.
