Consciousness: A String Theory Symphony is an immersive audio-visual experience, blending live acoustic musicians, spatialized sound, video, and cross-disciplinary collaborations. First performed in Kyoto in 2022, this unique piece combines performance and installation to create an unique sensory journey.
Five movements / Five key elements of physics:
General Relativity / Quantum Physics / The Dual Resonance Model/Singularity / Fundamental Interactions
Each theme represents a crucial pillar of our understanding of the physical world. Together, they bridge the macroscopic and microscopic worlds, pushing us toward a unified theory of all existence.
Consciousness grew from a deep collaboration between French composer Yannick Paget and Japanese physicist Koji Hashimoto. A new musical language was developed, born out of years of research and rooted in particle physics equations—specifically those of String Theory.
By merging composition and improvisation, acoustic and electronic sounds, Consciousness breaks from conventional musical frameworks. It incorporates an array of artistic collaborations—including with video artists, dancers, and ceramicists—to convey the multifaceted complexity of existence itself.
Bringing Art and Science into conversation, this work translates the invisible, underlying fabric of the universe into an auditory and visual form, enhanced by cutting-edge technology.
Consciousness deepens the audience’s awareness of our world, exploring humanity’s unique place within the universe and the intricate connections that tie us all together.
THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Physics, String Theory, and the Universe,
Everything in the cosmos—from the infinitely large (planets, stars, galaxies) to the infinitely small (atoms, electrons, quarks), from living matter to inert matter, as well as the interactions and forces that govern the universe—all of existence is made up of elementary particles. According to string theory, these particles are themselves composed of a singular substance: a vibrating string.
String theory has the potential to fulfil Einstein’s dream of a “theory of everything,” one that unites the seemingly incompatible theories of relativity and quantum physics. It is the focus of a century of research by thousands of scientists around the world. The concept of a single substance underlying all existence offers a new way to understand the universe, its diversity, and our place within it.
About the Conversion of String Theory into Musical Language
Yannick Paget and Koji Hashimoto analyzed the Chan-Paton factors, which determine how strings lead to the formation of various subatomic particles. From this, they defined a series of chords for each particle, as well as for antiparticles. It then became possible to musically reproduce fundamental interactions of the universe, such as those occurring within the sun or during the creation of atoms. These new modes form the unique language used in each movement of this symphony.
The 2025 Tour: Celebrating 100th Years of Quantum Physics
The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (AIQ), 2025, marks the 100th anniversary of the initial development of the groundbreaking principles of quantum physics. In celebration, Yannick Paget and N’SO KYOTO have been invited to perform a new version of Consciousness: A String Theory Symphony integrating new technologies and new parts. Plans for a France 2026 tour are also underway.
