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Page 112: the expressionist lines of the complex reinforced- Pages 114 and 115: the heart of this urban spa is the large liquid
concrete Liquidrom at night, the transparency of the large plate- sound pool. The central skylight in the dome mixes light into the
glass windows, and the stairway that is both passage and public heated saltwater and with classical or techno underwater music.
space leading to a modern cathedral of wellbeing. Photo: Christian Gahl
Photo: Christian Gahl

One of the four saunas at Liquidrom: light and concrete set the Water, light, and sound: a combination of elements and even the planets that represent them. We already know much about the therapeutic qualities of certain waters, which have been the subject
scene with minimalist, essential design. Photo: Christian Gahl of many modern and ancient texts, esoteric manuals, and scientific writings over the centuries.

parency of the Neue Nationale Galerie by the great effect, especially on the brain, as supported by many
Mies van der Rohe and the expressionist Philharmonie scientific studies. But if sound is joined by water, and
by Hans Scharoun, to whom certain evident features of light as well, a magically effective triad is generated.
the Liquidrom owe their inspiration. Affirming this position are the studies of the Japanese
Water, light, and sound: a combination of elements researcher and essayist Masaru Emoto. Analyzing
and even the planets that represent them. We already the effects of music on water, he showed that sounds
know much about the therapeutic qualities of certain can influence the structure of the liquid at tempera-
waters, which have been the subject of many modern tures near freezing. German photographer Alexander
and ancient texts, esoteric manuals, and scientific writ- Lauterwasser has also explored the bond between
ings over the centuries. Equally intriguing is the theo- sound and form, developing a technique that makes
ry of colors and the effects of light, studied by the ear- sounds and frequencies visible by means of water, of
ly-twentieth-century avant-garde movements and also which we are principally composed. But we must go
an interesting field of experimentation for Bauhaus. far back in history to find the original combination of
Somewhat more mysterious and intriguing are the these elements. The famous gong baths literally bathe
effects of sound on psycho-physical wellbeing. As stat- you in vibrations (not water!) that instill inner peace,
ed by the music therapist, acupuncturist, and compos- resonating in the emotional self and melting away any
er Fabien Maman in his book The Role of Music in the blocked energy. These special immersions are accom-
Twenty-First Century, “We are musical beings because panied by Tibetan singing bowls, whose sound induc-
the very substance of our universe is music . . . We are es energy equilibrium, even through water. And there
music deeply, to the smallest particle of our being. We are many other similar disciplines in every part of the
are music in the nucleus of our DNA, in our molecu- world. In short, a story stretching back across the mil-
lar structure.” According to the founding father of vi- lennia that accompanies us fluidly and vibrantly into
brational therapy of sound, music has a regenerative the digital age and probably on from here.

116 Beauty Protagonist