Directed by Lauren Bon and realized in collaboration with field recordist Ian Wellman and filmmaker Maurício Chades, The Great Vibration (2023) is an exploration of how percussive force transforms stagnant energies. Using analog field recordings captured during the building of a well, which involved hammering sixty-foot shoring panels into a section of the concretized Los Angeles River adjacent to the artist’s studio, the video both documents a construction process and conveys the magnitude of raw power involved in transforming the site. The result is an immersive soundscape that transitions from foreboding and violent to meditative and ecstatic.
Lauren Bon and Metabolic Studio
Lauren Bon, a Los Angeles–based environmental artist, is the driving force behind the Metabolic Studio, which focuses on developing self-sustaining and diversifying systems of exchange, including a unique sonic practice, that rejuvenate the ecological web. Since Not a Cornfield in 2005, Bon has been involved in transmission art, notably with locations along the Los Angeles River’s cyborg watershed. Her work highlights the role of vibration in activating living systems, exploring how sonic frequencies can impact ecological health.