Array

Background This installation combines the sounds of radar and scientific instrumentation used in Antarctica for upper atmospheric research and terrestrial communication with custom built instrumentation. The work draws on acoustic ecology, instrument design and modern composition to explore the spatial and material characteristics of remote polar environments under stress. The installation references the works of experimental composers Iannis Xenakis and Ilhan Mimaroglu who used massed orchestras, tape manipulation, and extended instrumental technique to render visceral aural experiences. Array draws inspiration from their activism by constructing a sono-musical expression of climate change to advocate for the preservation of the frozen continent. Contribution Many of the field recordings comprising Array focus on the way the built environment is transformed through stress and fatigue caused by extreme climate and weather events. The live instrumental processes and haptic responses are produced through custom built instrumentation designed to extrapolate the material and atmospheric qualities of air, water and ice into mutable articulations. The application of tension and pressure upon assorted instruments, objects and materials recalls the distressed state of highly specialised infrastructure found within the perimeters of a research station. The intent is to blur the relationship between the recorded and performed to produce a hyper-realistic encounter of the powerful forces that operate at the margins of our planet. Significance The installation was commissioned by RMIT Gallery for their permanent collection and curated into the Site and Sound: Sonic Art as ecological practice exhibition at McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery. A stereo version of the installation has been produced for LP / Digital Download for Brisbane label Room40 for international distribution. The recording of ARRAY was funded by a joint PPCA / Australia Council for the Arts grant.