This work was peer reviewed and selected for presentation and publication in the proceedings of ICLC’23 in Utrecht, NL.
Neowise 5.8 V/E is a constructed/deconstructed soundscape, last of a series of minimalist and ambient improvisations inspired by the unfathomable orbit of the comet they are named after. An earlier iteration was published on Down the Rabbit Hole (Call It Anything Records, 2021)
Using just 2 or 3 samples in TidalCycles, it layers the ringing of the spheres, and beams out harmonics like a prism splitting light into distinct colors. The samples used are recordings of a bow chime, a very physical instrument which plays you in return. Recordings of this acoustic behemoth cannot track the experience of it live, but by manipulating these samples, we find new means to engage with the tangible shapes of orbits and conjunctions. In this last scene of the series, the live bow chime also joins the stage as recompense to the early studies’ original explorations of ebb and return. Dedicated to Matt Samolis in gratitude for his mentorship.
Unfortunately, audio and video documentation of this performance have been lost due to a failed hard drive before it could be published. I’m holding out hope that somewhere a copy survives, but I haven’t found it yet.