Neurotransmitter System: Sonic Neural Drift

Neurotransmitter System: Sonic Neural Drift treats a custom dynamic graphical interface as a live instrument. Bai selects, moves, and activates nodes, paths, and connections in front of the projection, synchronously changing the frequency, density, and rhythm of sound. Because the audience can continuously see his actions, the first half establishes a clear relationship in which the artist appears to be controlling the system.

Cell-like nodes and connections draw on Bai’s interest in tinnitus and neural transmission without simulating or validating actual neural activity. The interface turns transmission, feedback, and coupling into manipulable graphical relationships, while the same visual system also carries sonic control and live communication.

At a predesigned point in the performance, Bai types directly into a dialogue box within the interface: “I’m a little tired now; please operate it for me.” The audience can read the text. An AI connected through an API then takes over the same interface. The transfer of control is therefore not a hidden technical switch but a staged action made visible in the performance.

The interface and audiovisual system remain the same; what changes is the source of operation and judgement. Rather than hiding AI in the background as an assistant, the work deliberately changes the decision-making subject while the system keeps running, allowing the audience to hear changes in sound while also watching who determines the next move.