Philosophies of Being, Perception, and Expressivity of Being is a multidimensional project by philosopher-artist-composer Tanka Fonta, integrating a large-scale visual mural, a three-part sonic installation featuring three orchestral scores, poetic recitations, and a performance script. Drawing from the philosophies of humanity and the variegated cosmologies of our human cultures, Fonta introduces the concept of “inter-field perceptivity” – where fields of perception interlap across molecular, sonic, intuitive, and philosophical dimensions. Brazil is presented not as a local setting but as a mirror of the human condition, inviting viewers into a poetic, immersive reflection on existence, intelligences, and the expressive nature of being.

The immersive sonic dimension is central to the work, consisting of three orchestral compositions arranged in seven movements, recorded by the Orquestra do Theatro São Pedro, in São Paulo, under the direction of Maestro Carlos Moreno. Presented through a headphone-based installation with three listening stations, these scores serve not merely as accompaniment but as foundational components of the project’s structure and sensorial depth. Their presence within the 36th Bienal signals a historic collaboration and aligns with the curatorial emphasis on expanded formats and transdisciplinary encounters.

The mural, while conceived as part of the project’s visual field, emerges from within the already composed sonic, poetic, and philosophical frameworks. It is thus not to be described as a static or finalized artwork, but as a living and responsive visual language – one that evolves from deep listening and conceptual resonance. Structured around six thematic constellations, the work invites an immersive experience that encourages perception beyond societal constructs and engages with the sacred nature of all existence. This act of perception echoes the writings of African philosopher Anton Wilhelm Amo (1703-1759), who defined sensing as “a disposition of our organic and living body, by which the animal is affected by material and sensible things that are immediately present to it.”¹

The work also includes a performance script, dramatizing a dialogue between human and vegetal intelligences and further expanding the project’s poetic, ecological, and philosophical reach. This script is integrated into the Bienal’s public programming, while the broader project has been formally invited by the Bienal’s education team to be a part of its educational publication series, distributed to schools and cultural institutions.

Rather than presenting ancestral cosmologies as fixed references, Fonta positions them as resonant undercurrents within a planetary project that seeks to articulate the expressivity of being through continuous processes of sensing, reflecting, composing, and becoming.