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RESEARCH

.

WHERE Art, sound
& science meet

What happens when sound becomes immersive, intentional, and embodied?
When listening is no longer background noise, but a full-body experience?

At ReCharge, we explore how a musical journey on an artistic river of frequencies affect the human nervous system —
Not only as artists – but in collaboration with scientific researchers.

Why we research

We live in a world of constant stimulation.
Our nervous systems rarely get the chance to truly downshift.

Many people feel:

  • mentally overloaded

  • chronically stressed

  • disconnected from their body

  • unable to fully rest, even when they stop “doing”

We believe deep listening can offer something fundamentally different — a state of presence, regulation and inner quiet that goes beyond entertainment.

Research helps us understand why this happens, and how we can design these experiences with even greater care.

Art meets science

ReCharge was born from artistic intuition — from years of composing immersive soundscapes and witnessing what they do to people when they truly listen.

Rather than leaving this as a mystery, we chose to collaborate with scientists who share our curiosity.

Together, we explore questions such as:

  • How does immersive sound affect the nervous system?

  • What role do specific frequencies play in relaxation and focus?

  • Can sound measurably support states of calm and presence?

The Groningen study

In collaboration with researchers from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, a large-scale study was conducted during a live ReCharge experience.

Hundreds of participants took part in an immersive listening session inside a planetarium setting. Participants were divided into groups and listened to:

  • music without binaural beats

  • music with 10 Hz binaural beats

  • music with 40 Hz binaural beats

During and after the sessions, researchers measured physiological and cognitive indicators, including heart rate and subjective experience of relaxation and focus.

This made the study unique: it took place inside a real artistic experience, not in a lab.

What emerged

The outcomes confirmed something we had long sensed intuitively as artists.

Participants exposed to 10 Hz binaural beats showed:

  • a calmer physiological response

  • increased parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activity

  • a stronger subjective sense of relaxation

In other words: the body responded, not just the mind.

People didn’t just hear the difference — they felt it.

What this means for ReCharge

This research does not turn ReCharge into therapy or treatment.
And we are careful not to make medical claims.

What it does do is sharpen our artistic practice.

It helps us:

  • refine how we work with frequency and sound design

  • deepen the quality of rest and presence in our sessions

  • design immersive environments that align with how the nervous system naturally responds

Every Tuning Session and every ReCharge Dome experience is informed by this growing body of insight — combined with artistic sensitivity, not replaced by science.

An ongoing exploration

 

For us, research is not a checkbox or a finished chapter.

It is an ongoing dialogue between:

  • art and science

  • intuition and measurement

  • experience and reflection

We continue to collaborate, test, listen and refine — always in service of creating spaces where people can truly land, reset and reconnect.

Experience it yourself

Research can point the way.
But the essence of ReCharge is experiential.

If you’re curious what deep listening can do for you:

  • join a Tuning Session

  • step inside the ReCharge Dome

  • or explore collaboration possibilities

The body understands before the mind does.