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The voice of the land : a performative visual music composition of the Okanagan Valley

University of British Columbia

"The Voice of the Land" combines the exquisite sounds and colors of nature to create an expressive Visual Music composition of the Okanagan Valley, BC. Utilizing creative research methodology process, I recorded original soundscapes of the Okanagan environment, and created visualizations based on the four seasons. My composition is based on the interwoven melodies and visuals of the local landscape, creating an immersive media artwork that invites people to experience nature's marvelous vocabulary. I composed four movements of multimodal experience which corresponds to the viewers’ presence in the valley. In the interactive installation there is a light source that illuminates the zone of interaction, where viewers trigger samples of prepared piano, flute and cello sonification based on scales derived from nature. I developed several versions of the software that allowed the audience to interact in two ways: as dancers and as audience members. By using real-time visual and audio processing "The Voice of the Land" promotes unique connections between the local environment and our experience of nature. The installation will assist the public in building lasting relationships with their natural surroundings which will be critical in a future defined by environmental challenges. This was one of the first studies to present the soundscape of the Okanagan using contemporary sonic technology, and it brought to life the metaphoric expressions of the land through innovative interactive performances and visualizations. The project was a result of extensive study of visual music theory and involved research creation methods and theoretical ideas. Given my background as a trained pianist, a painter, a digital media animator, and a 3D modeler, the completion of the research project was a rewarding journey.

Text

2021-04-22

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/77916

Interdisciplinary Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/