Randy Gibson
Sound | Time | Art
The Four Pillars Breathing in Harmonic Time
2022
Two Flutes, Pre-recorded Flutes, Sine Waves, and Video | ca. 3 hours
2022
Two Flutes, Pre-recorded Flutes, Sine Waves, and Video | ca. 3 hours
Commissioned by if.else
World Premiere: No. 2 Vance, Memphis - December 14th, 2022
Premiered by: Jenny Davis - Alto Flute
Philip Snyder - Alto Flute
This work is an exploration of the edges of our perception. Building on my concepts of Harmonic Time, The Four Pillars Breathing in Harmonic Time asks the performers to continually reach for perfection and perceive it.
Each performer navigates the shifting chord structure in conversation with an autonomous playback system that reinforces the focus of each chord with algorithmically expanding recordings of both performers. Spaced opposite each other, the performers join the recordings to create a series of three note chords from The Four Pillars. As each performer perceives a set quantity of "perfect" chords, they decide to move the work forward. The computer system will only move forward once both performers have agreed that perfection has been achieved, so the work becomes a navigation of self-perception and mutual understanding.