EcoArt Intent – AustinH

I was initially going to roll with a nature-oriented parody of tinder called timber but then I was struck with divine inspiration for something I would actually use. It’s a bit more artsy and a bit less interactive but regardless it’s something I’d actually be much more invested in producing and a bit more in-line with other work I’ve been doing this semester. (It could also replace or work in-tandem with my original project idea in 443)

I would like to create a trio of electronic music compositions that evoke a feeling of three different realms of the Earth: land, air, and sea.

If I absolutely had to describe the pieces as I intend them by genre, it would be something like ambient electronic (something with a feel best described by example by the video below). They will all be very slow in tempo, with prolonged chord progression that isn’t immediately apparent as a melody, asynchronous sounds predominantly featuring modulating/phasing digital tones and possibly a very simple piano accompaniment.

Each of the three pieces – Land, Air, and Sea – would be composed of similar elements with some minor differing traits (namely in chord progression and melody). Land would perhaps have more prominent lower frequencies, sharper transitions, and a harder rhythmic structure, whereas Air would be relatively free from low end sound, somewhat faster, and with a more prominent melody, and Sea would be somewhere in the middle with a balance between lows and highs, smoother transitions, and all-around flowing elements. In every case, the disparate elements would at all times be harmonic with each other.

I was directly inspired by some of the early works of an artist who goes by dep, specifically the four tracks “Morning”, “Afternoon”, “Evening”, and “Night” of his album, “Within the Darkness”. And these tracks are definitely the kind of sound I most want to emulate in my own work. There’s also the works of a group called Hammock that come to mind which similarly combine orchestral and electronic instrumentation to create the same sort of progressive atmospheric pieces (though slightly more intense).

Beyond those, however, what shifted my mindset towards this kind of idea was actually the green museum projects shared in class. It occurred to me then that, even though it would be more “new media” oriented if I were to do it, EcoArt doesn’t necessarily have to be interactive. Much like traditional art, it can just exist and be created with a specific intent and purpose in mind for it. But the only interactivity past that rests on the interpretation of the viewer. So I would hope that the pieces I create could have some more profound impact on any given listener, whether it be some internalized reflection on nature or just in using the pieces as a sleep aid.

I’m thinking I would do the bulk of this project in a digital audio workstation like Pro Tools or Logic, working with sound objects recorded in Max MSP or from an external MIDI controller or available within the programs themselves. Then I would continue to work in there to arrange and mix the different elements in whatever way I see fit.

Thus my budget would only consist of:

$10/month – Max MSP subscription