Polar systems
Jan 17, 2023, 08:47 PM
"This is a composition that explores and develops the natural structures in a polar soundscape. It was created with electronic production techniques, combining synthesizers and drum machines with samples of odontocete species and sea ice found in the Polar Sound field recordings.
"When listening to the recorded sounds, I found that clear acoustic and rhythmic environments emerged. A combination of deep-toned repetitive percussive hits and high-pitched staccato accents can be heard in a mysterious, yet peaceful, acoustic space. These were my main inspirations for this work.
"The composition was directly built around the field recording elements, which were later processed to match the resulting music. The rhythm was designed to complement the percussive sounds produced by natural phenomena. The timbres were set to capture the resonant vibrations of the main components of the polar environment (ice, water, wind). The cadence is meant to match the animal sounds.
"From a technical perspective, the "odontocete species and sea ice" recording was cleaned from background noise through a processing algorithm and then split into frequency ranges to separate the components and place them independently in the composition. Some of the sounds were used to build the sonic environment and some as part of the rhythm.
"The natural structures of the polar sonic environment also inspired many other creative choices in this composition. Indeed, in my scientific research, I am very interested in the emergence of criticality in nature, in which many physical and biological systems live at the edge between order and chaos. Music also develops at a critical state between order and chaos (in a balance between being too repetitive and too confusing) so the recorded passages were used to guide artistic choices of sounds and structures, to project the same balance of robustness and fragility that is found in the polar environment.
"Finally, I was also inspired by the mysterious nature of the recorded acoustic space, which reminds us that polar exploration is still a journey into the unknown. The composition is meant to capture the cadence of an adventure, where the endeavoring pace of a sustained beat is interrupted by the wandering explorations of unexpected passages."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Cristián Huepe.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg
"When listening to the recorded sounds, I found that clear acoustic and rhythmic environments emerged. A combination of deep-toned repetitive percussive hits and high-pitched staccato accents can be heard in a mysterious, yet peaceful, acoustic space. These were my main inspirations for this work.
"The composition was directly built around the field recording elements, which were later processed to match the resulting music. The rhythm was designed to complement the percussive sounds produced by natural phenomena. The timbres were set to capture the resonant vibrations of the main components of the polar environment (ice, water, wind). The cadence is meant to match the animal sounds.
"From a technical perspective, the "odontocete species and sea ice" recording was cleaned from background noise through a processing algorithm and then split into frequency ranges to separate the components and place them independently in the composition. Some of the sounds were used to build the sonic environment and some as part of the rhythm.
"The natural structures of the polar sonic environment also inspired many other creative choices in this composition. Indeed, in my scientific research, I am very interested in the emergence of criticality in nature, in which many physical and biological systems live at the edge between order and chaos. Music also develops at a critical state between order and chaos (in a balance between being too repetitive and too confusing) so the recorded passages were used to guide artistic choices of sounds and structures, to project the same balance of robustness and fragility that is found in the polar environment.
"Finally, I was also inspired by the mysterious nature of the recorded acoustic space, which reminds us that polar exploration is still a journey into the unknown. The composition is meant to capture the cadence of an adventure, where the endeavoring pace of a sustained beat is interrupted by the wandering explorations of unexpected passages."
Odontocete sounds reimagined by Cristián Huepe.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
IMAGE: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Striped_dolphin_in_the_Ligurian_Sea.jpg