"Vibrant Pools" is a piece that delves into the realm of acoustic resonance, focusing on the transformative power of sound when interacting with various objects through iterative recording and playback.
At the core of this composition lies the idea of immersing different objects, brass, glass and iron vases in particular, in the acoustic ambiance of a room and allowing their unique resonant frequencies to unfold. Each object contributes its distinctive character to the sonic tapestry of the room.
Borrowing from Alvin Lucier’s pioneering work around natural acoustics and their relation to space, the piece commences with gentle and atonal sounds transduced into objects, gradually introducing the listener to the subtle vibrations and harmonics hidden within these objects. As the iterative recording and playback process progresses, the sonic landscape begins to form dynamically. The interplay of resonances, overtones, and reverberations creates a rich mosaic of sound, resonating with the soul of the room.
Through the cyclical process of recording and playback, the objects' sonic personalities become more pronounced and vibrant, as if they are engaging in a symphony of their own conduction. The transformation is organic, with the room itself becoming an active participant in this sonic transfiguration, and a witness to the subtle musicality that surrounds objects daily.
Each performer is assigned to an object connected to a transducer and a microphone. The musicians are required to interact with the objects, morphing and manipulating the emitted resonances using different techniques (water, touch, liquid wax, foam ect..)
‘Vibrant Pools’ is an embodied research into the life of objects and the poetics of space; it is a foray into their ontology and its relation to human subjectivity.
Commissioned by Irtijal and Another Sky festival
Premiered at Cafe Oto, London October 6 2023
