In this open work for bass flute and electronics, the performer creates a unique pathway through a labyrinth of "shadows" – recordings of themself
Composer: Fredrick Gifford
The Balinese word associated with shadow puppets, wayang, is difficult to translate, but hints at the idea that all art is a shadow of life. MOBILE 2016 is built around two concepts: the dramatic structure of ancient shadow plays, and sounds from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. Shadow plays often create situations revolving around a few words and the misunderstandings or changes in meaning that occur as different characters utter them. Here, the words are taken from Dante by sampling the Inferno for cantos containing the word ombra – shadow (the cantos are provided in full below). The bass flute and electronics are both actors and shadows in this play: their “words” at once generate the surface and stand behind all the sounds in this mobile. Commissioned by the Ear Taxi Festival (Chicago, 2016).