Chrysalids - Electro-Acoustic Work

HOME PAGE

 An elecro-acoustic work by Ian Harris - 
based on ideas generated from the 1955 novel 'The Chrysalids' by John Wyndham, in which a group of telepaths attempt to escape their world 
paralysed by genetic mutation.

Aims

Intentions
The structural intention of this piece can be described in its simplest terms as moving from the domination of rhythm towards the ethereal. Rhythmic ideas are presented within 3 inter-related sections of different colour, dynamic and purpose, as set out on the following page. Stereo and 3-dimensional placement of sound is also intended as a secondary structural feature. Sound objects are created within AudioMulch Interactive Music Studio version 0.9b8 patch1, in partnership with Cool Edit 2000.

'Laws & Dreams' 4' 36
Two of the central ideas within this novel: conformity (LAW) and the desires of the individual(DREAMS)co-exist within this first section. Pulses in groups of 4s and 5s dominate this section, equating to the strict laws of behaviour within the novel. The dream material (bursts of colour, sliding objects, wind patterns, grainy sound-objects) gradually emerges until at a point where all elements reach a climax, the dream fades away. Rhythmic/pitch elements transform in tempo and/or by transposition to create a bridge into section two.

'Badlands' 2' 52
The Badlands in the novel are an area in which genetic mutation is widespread. At the heart of this soundscape filled with deep throbbing and alien pulsing, stands a transformed human voice full of pain and suffering, representing all dispossessed. The voice is sliced into sections, abruptly starting and stopping, within a reverberated space.

'Thought-City' 2' 00
The piece emerges from the darker moods of the preceding sections. The fast pulsing which has been present throughout the second section reduces in dynamic to take on a new gentler characteristic for this final section. One senses in the distance the city of thought by a calm sea. A sense of arrival into a new tranquil world, and deliverance from the oppression of a former existence, moves this section on into an ethereal space. Sound objects from the previous sections re-emerge, now just as memories. The grainy texture (fragmented dream material) which appeared during the first section returns to theforeground either reversed or transposed, again to integrate the separate sections into a whole. The work dissolves into silence.

Review
The final world of Chrysalids (dark and mesmeric) became whole after several weeks of development. Starting from a point that clearly defined individual sections and moods, the work became more layered and detailed as it progressed. The three sections of the final version interlock more securely and share similar textures. The textures of the sound-objects reflect my interest in the imperfect sound qualities that can be achieved within AudioMulch and Cool Edit. These imperfect sounds reminding one of early sound recording or pre-digital recording, having a beauty of their own. Agony by Ilhan Mimaroglu (1967) was a piece that helped me to define an intriguing sound-world. Hearing this work on a record with all the imperfections of sound reproduction, again stimulated my imagination. As part of the development of work, the stereo and 3-dimensional placement of sound helped to open up the texture, particularly within the first section. By fragmenting wav files that originally were continuous streams of sound, space was created which allowed other parts to come through to the foreground. Fragmentation was achieved by the insertion of silences of different lengths. One characteristic and achievement of the whole work is the layering of textures that allow sounds to change roles as the work progresses, perhaps beginning as foreground material and ending as middle or background. Stilleben (1986) by Kaja Saariaho is an example of a modern work that also helped to demonstrate to me the ability of the foreground and background material to change roles. The use of texts spoken in different languages, also links with another piece Luciano Berio’s Laborintus 2 (1963-65), in which the sung voice is used as an instrument, in combination with spoken texts. In the second section of Chrysalids, the transfigured human voice is communicating in a new language, yet one that still conveys its humanity.

Conclusion
Although the translation of themes from the novel into sound-objects was the initial impulse for elements within the work, at its completion, the narrative of the sound structure itself creates a new meaning that does not rely on other programmatic knowledge.

© 2002 Ian Harris