MIND CALLING (2021)

'Mind Calling' is a three-minute sound composition split into four transitions. Ghostly voices, and lingering sensations are evident in the piece hence its title, as if conversating with the unknown. The alteration of pitch and tone, followed by the repetitive use of echo and dragging creates time and spatiality. It further deceives the audience’s interpretation on how sound is represented. The intriguing sound created enhances harmonization, resulting an orchestral atmosphere. This is resembled in Cornelius Cardew’s ‘The Great Learning’. Whilst each performer is instructed to sing a quote from the Confucian text, the overlaying of voices coalesces into clusters. Since each performance is autonomous, this creates uncertainty in the way sounds are presented to the audience (NMNC, 2021).

The animation illustrates a visual representation of my sound piece through moving image whilst imitating its texture, tone and duration. The flashing and quick movement of lines and shapes results a hypnotic effect, creating an affective experience for the audience. It makes them feel like they’ve transitioned into a different dimension. There is a strong resemblance in my work with Ryoji Ikeda’s “Datamatics”– the use of black and white not only helps distinguish figures from its background, but also creates a rhythmic pattern, allowing viewers to create association between sound and imagery. The animation also questions how our mind communicates with the body through response.

Inspired by Murray Adaskin’s “Rondino For Nine Instruments (1961)”, this graphic music score comprises 2 pages of symbols, traditional musical notation and geometric, abstract shapes translated from my sound composition. The score is intended for performance by three musicians/artists and is read similarly to a normal piano music score. Musical notes represent melody and tune, abstract shapes indicate volume and pitch, shaded areas represent length and duration. This score intends to challenge the relationship between traditional musical notation and abstract semiotics. How do these two forms overlap each other when it is performed?

Song of Three

Musical score notation Pen and Pencil drawing on paper

Graphic Score Notation v.1.

118.8cm x 42cm, Pencil drawing on paper

A graphic score translated from my sound piece Mind Calling composed of visual elements including simple lines, shapes and unique symbols. The score is intended for performance by one musician/artist and is read horizontally from left to right. The participant must select a unique notation to be played for each page. The horizontal axis represents duration of time, vertical axis represents relative pitch and volume. Darker shaded markings denotes texture, drag and echo. Unique symbols and shapes are utilized as a discipline to convey how language is signified and interpreted in sound. The performer may also relate to this image, contributing with an additional nuance or personal facet (freeform interpretation).

Cycle of Uncertainty

Musical score notation Pen and Pencil drawing on paper

In George Crumb’s “The Magic Circle of Infinity”, he aims to “explore a piano’s seemingly infinite sounding possibilities” (Sauer, 2013). This made me question the possibilities of playing a score non-stop. When and where does it end? Does the performer make the decision? Or, does the score state so itself? Repetitive sounds and noises are recurrent in my sound peace, suggesting a never-ending cycle and journey. This results in the uncertainty of not knowing when or where the repetition ends. I aim to represent this graphic score as a cycle, allowing the performer to select individual sections within the score and repeatedly perform until they’ve reached a point of uncertainty.

> Sound and Text: W.H. Auden “Funeral Blues”

A graphic score created in response to a poem written by W.H. Auden “Funeral Blues” in 1938 (Sheko, 2018). As reflected in the poem, the score aims to portray a sense of grief, frustration, death and unhappiness. The writer conveys the idea of feeling isolated and out of sync with the world. Thus, expresses his frustration towards the ignorance of death whilst society continues. I intend to tell a story through my graphic score and express the writer’s emotions through visual illustrations. I was intrigued by Phil Legard’s “Angelystor”, hence the similarities that are seen in both mine and Legard’s work. Brief notations are written throughout the graphic score directed to six performers.

W. H. Auden: “Funeral Blues”

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’.

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;