depicts the life, color, and environment of the High Desert in the Western United States.
Composer: Jon Bellona
Work by Harmonic Laboratory (Jon Bellona, John Park, Jeremy Schropp)
The kinetic sound sculpture emanates audio from the High Desert region, while flowing as a singular mechanical wave overhead.
The piece amplifies field recordings of the High Desert and a recording of a Skinner church organ (composed by Kevin Davis and Jon Bellona), all which evoke the rich beauty of the region. Awash, like the High Desert, is shaped by many forces interacting in complex ways; the work is ecological – physical movement interacts with sonic vibrations. Sounds interact with the physical environment. Visual elements intermingle with acoustic elements.
Awash mirrors the distribution of energy within High Desert ecosystems and the symbiotic forces at play in the water cycle. Akin to floodplains providing an energy buffer that sustains life, the kinetic sound sculpture disperses sound energy across 120 three-watt speakers. The distributed energy of the network carries sound and movement as large waves rippling across the constructed landscape of the museum.