s.laag

This work was composed for bass clarinettist Marij van Gorkom as part of the http://dutch-uk.network 58/58 project. It exploits different forms of outcomes ranging from traditional interactions between the acoustic instrument and live computer transformations, to a more sophisticated immersive media performance on stage with ‘digital-twin’ players and instruments. The work’s shifts between the acoustic instrument and electronic medium are reflected in the Dutch title ‘slaag’ (to pass); its multiple layers, strata, foundations and thickness of materials, are represented by ‘laag’ (low/layer). S.laag is a rather abstract ‘aural fingerprint’ obtained from van Gorkom during a recording workshop using an aural-score techniques adapted from Nance’s Plastic Music, Aural Models and Representation (2005). The method decoded some peculiar aspects of her sonic identity, with emphasis on spectral content via multiphonics, valve fingering and breathing techniques. This research is focused on exploring how the physicality of an acoustic musical instrument and its human counterpart can be reembodied and transcended by navigating between real and virtual worlds.
S.laag’s aural narrative investigates the views and motivations of the architects of the European Union, aiming to endure lasting peace after World War II. The immersive media version reconstructs the iconic 1958 Brussels World’s Fair involving artistic representations of Le Corbusier/Xenakis’s multimedia spectacle at the Philips Pavilion and the Atomium, behaving as a musical artefact. Climent collaborated with Alena Mesarosova and Manu Ferrer on the 3D modelling. Technically, the piece is informed by related creative approaches to game-engines for composition (e.g. Dolphin, Cyclical Flow (2011), Hamilton and Platz (2016)). S.laag received the International Computer Music Association’s 2016 European Region Award at ICMC, The Netherlands. Performances include its premiere in Brighton (July 2016), Bergamo, Utrecht, Manchester, Leicester, Bath, Zurich, BBC Radio3 and Tokyo. It was published on CD by Red de Arte Sonoro Latinoamericano - Volume 5.