ICLC 2023 Catalogue

Neowise 5.8 V/E

Alicia Champlin

Was performed at:

Program Notes

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 afer. 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.