still & stretched: a mute tumult of memories for chamber ensemble and digital boxes 2017
Inspired by the writings of Gaston Bachelard, who uses the memory of “houses as a tool for analysis of the human soul” (The Poetics of Space. Bachelard pg. xxxvi), this piece explores the memory of past spaces. The spaces where one went to dream, to hide and to create become personalized interior spaces. They become important parts of the way we connect to, and remember, the past self. “Giving an exterior destiny to an interior being.” (Bachelard pg. 11)
This pieces uses sonic and physical objets that are memories of spaces where I once lived as the source material for the composition. I composed sonic materials that metaphorically represented characteristics of those spaces. For example: one sketch is the memory of a space behind a couch where I use to play as a child with my sister. I created sonic textures for this piece that were similar to the physical qualities of the fabric of the sofa — woolen and scratchy. To capture the mood of a ‘space behind a couch’, a dark and suffocating atmosphere, I created a sketch that was very active and dense without any pauses or reverb.Then I examined connections between the distinctive places (e.g. chronological, duration, importance, etc.) to bring the materials together. The final composition has several layers of connected materials and objects unfolding throughout. .
The dialectic between interior/exterior is enhanced through the presence of digital cigar boxes. Through a combination of sensors, transducers and microphones, the boxes hide and reveal objects connected to those spaces, manipulating and transforming their sounds. The chamber ensemble moves between within/out, by being (dis)connected to the electronics. The final piece weaves together a new space, shifting the position of the listener between inside / outside.
More information about the Digital Boxes: here
Commissioned and Premiered by: Adapter Ensemble, Adoption Series, Berlin 12.2017
