As I abandoned my original thesis idea (a sound sculpture celebrating cymatics, or the modal vibrational phenomena that occurs when a material responds to sound waves) due to the school being shut down, access to sound studios closed off and no room to work on a physical object of such scale, I revisited the sonic material I had collected during my time at SAIC prior to this. This piece is a compilation of my experimentations with recorded material made from 2018–2020.
Title: “Collected Materials from Two Years”, 2020, Sound, 51 mins.
0:00 – 1:50 A Marble in a Can = Ten in the Hand
1:53 – 14:32 Water Works
14:33 – 20:07 A Tone, A Drone, A Vessel: Pan It All
20:08 – 25:49 The Conversation at La Push
25:50 – 27:00 A Bug (But Not a “True” Bug)
27:01 – 38:21 Vents
38:22 – 50:53 Midi Collage, Debussy Hommage
“A Marble in a Can = Ten in the Hand” – 1:50
Using a pure data patch, this polyrhythmic piece is short and sweet.
“Water Works” – 12:46
Recorded during the beginning stages of quarantine/ shelter-in-place in Chicago, this piece is a compilation of water moving through apartment pipes, machines, filters, and faucets. Spectral qualities were exploited using equalizers and convolution reverbs, and then fit together in a sort of abstract, vague narrative.
“A Tone, A Drone, A Vessel: Pan It All” – 5:30
This piece consists of a single recording of a dishwasher cycle, manipulated using digital synthesizers and panned to create a large, engulfing stereo field.
“The Conversation at La Push” – 5:43
A field recording of the ocean shore taken by the artist in La Push, Washington in May 2019. This is a performed piece using a granular synthesis Pure Data patch – at a certain point, the undulation of the ocean noise evolves into a grainy pattern that resembles the rhythm of a personal conversation.
“A Bug (But Not a “True” Bug)” – 1:07
Composed using an Arturia MatrixBrute Analog Synthesizer and cassette tape.
“Vents” – 11:21
This piece is a series of manipulated field recordings of ventilations systems in tall buildings in downtown Chicago. Totally filling the ears with the noise of moving air, the listener must sort through the drone to find subtle dynamics. Though the piece is flushed with moving air, it may be a challenge for the listener’s ears to “catch a breath”.
“Midi Collage, Debussy Hommage” – 12:06
This piece is a sound collage consisting of manipulated and synthesized digital information from a generic midi file of the song “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy. Though the song itself is completely unrecognizable in this format, there are occasional moments where Clair de Lune’s whimsical melodic arches and free rhythmic structure are honored, and may appear for the willing listener.