eidos; qualia (2022)

for flute, clarinet, viola, cello, objects, and electronics

eidos; qualia oscillates between presence and absence, implying a continuity between being and non-being, appearance and disappearance. It draws upon Yuk Hui’s discussion of recursivity, a concept that is central to the spirit of shanshui painting: “when one sees something when there is in fact nothing; when there is nothing where one sees something.” I convey the idea of recursivity musically by rendering the soundless as equally audible as the sounding. By positioning the musicians around the audience and by gradually amplifying the presence of space through audio processing, I transform the soundless—the relation of one body to another—into something that is simultaneously seen and heard. Relatedly, in the final section, everyday objects which are normally inert and silent—such as cardboard boxes and ceramic pots—are repurposed into sounding bodies through human intervention.