The Self

he Self, a multimedia installation opera that takes the psychoactive drug Ayahuasca as a thread to reach into its three main characters: a retired US forest servicer, his wife and a Shaman. Based on a fragmented non-linear storytelling drama, created from elements of its situations and characters, and generated by the data of psychoactive drug modified neuronal activities, The Self has neither singers nor accompanying ensemble. It travels the space between an opera and an installation.


With an interdisciplinary career blending classical training in cello and composition, sound/audio data research, and innovative computational arts education, Margaret Anne Schedel transcends the boundaries of disparate fields to produce integrated work at the nexus of computation and the arts. Her diverse creative output spans the interactive multimedia operas, virtual reality experiences, sound art, video game scores, and compositions for a wide variety of classical instruments or custom controllers with interactive audio and video processing.