Hannibal

Hannibal is the compositional and sonic seed of my large-scale work Ting, completed during and following a period of compositional residency at the Elektronisches Studio Basel (ESB, Switzerland) in 2005-06. During this time, I was introduced to the work of Jean Tinguely and immediately became enamoured of his playful, dynamic, and colourful kinetic sculptures. His collection of “automata, sculptures, and mechanical reliefs” at the Museum Tinguely, including the sculpture Hannibal II, became the starting point for the work that followed. Ironically, of the incredibly rich and dynamic collection of Tinguely’s sound-making sculptures, the sound source primarily incorporated here is very simple: a metal chain that slowly sways to and fro after Hannibal II completes its cycle of movements. The aim of Hannibal was to generate a great variety of pitch-based material through the intensive processing of a minute sampling of Tinguely’s sculpture, and to develop new compositional methodologies and vocabulary for Ting. Melodies and songs emerged — playful and iterative in the manner of much of Tinguely’s work.