Almost an Island
edgewater In Flight Uncanny Valley Red Plumes Degrees of Freedom The Widening Gyre Driptick Wind Farm Blue Traces Out of Hand Conveyor Slumber Elements sLowlife sLowlife [installation] Wakeup Call Detour Day Trip Thrum Beyond Our Reach Fits and Starts Jangle Dancing on a Wire House of the Dreamers In-between Flights of Fancy A Bao A Qu A Flash of Green Serenata Alliances Bagatelle |
Red Plumes (2011)cello and live electronicsCommissioned by Craig Hultgren. Available on John Gibson: Traces (innova 896)
and on SEAMUS Interactions 2016.
View score
excerpt [PDF].
Loading audio player...
Craig Hultgren, cello
Deep beneath the surface of the Pacific lie hydrothermal vents that spew scalding water, laced with toxic minerals and gases, onto the near-freezing ocean floor. In the pitch-black depths, giant tube worms grow to a length of eight feet, protected from the harsh conditions by a tough outer shell. Having no mouth and no digestive tract, they host bacteria that convert minerals into food. The bacteria in turn receive food from the worm’s blood-filled plumes, which exchange carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other compounds with the seawater. A worm has no eyes, but somehow it can sense vibrations, which cause it to retract the plume into its shell. Imagine that you are hearing these vibrations. Performances:
Here is a screenshot of the Max patch. (Click to enlarge.) |