Meru: Tracing Earth (Ross Pass to Camp)

The Dark Moon (Amavasaya) occurs when the moon is invisible against the backdrop of the Sun in the sky. In almost all Nepalese and Indian languages (most derived from Sanskirt), Amavasaya is when the Moon is within the twelve degrees of angular distance to the Sun as seen from Earth before syzygy (conjunction). It is traditionally considered an auspicious time—a time of great power—when many make offerings in remembrance of ancestors who have passed on. Amavasaya is the occasion for some of the most famous Hindu festivals such as Diwali, the Festival of Lights, held in mid-autumn. This work is an offering to my ancestral as well as musical predecessors. 


Amavasaya

Windhorse (2012)for flute and live processing (SuperCollider)
The Windhorse is a central figure in Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism. The Windhorse appears in the center of a common type of prayer flag, representing the cardinal directions, well-being, good fortune, and the speed and strength with which prayers are carried to the heavens. The Windhorse is often depicted bearing the Three Jewels in which those seeking enlightenment take refuge: the enlightened being (Buddha), the teachings (Dharma), and the community of those seeking enlightenment (Sangha). This meditative work is representative of the more relaxed character of my recent works. It was written in the spirit of "joyous effort", the Buddhist philosophy that positive efforts are worthwhile for ourselves and others, and that we should not be fearful or discouraged in our work. The electronic sounds are generated in realtime by processing the input signal from the flute with SuperCollider.


Windhorse

Iridescent (from Latin iris 'rainbow')  Displaying a spectrum of luminous colors that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's viewing angle changes.

Pearls, beetles, butterflies, cuttlefish and other cephalopods, hummingbirds, bornite, bismuth, soap bubbles, opals, DVDs and oil on wet pavement all exhibit iridescence caused by redirected light. Coloration caused by micro- or nano-structures is referred to as "structural color" and is a common cause of iridescence in the natural world. I was fascinated by the diverse manifestations of iridescence in nature and by the physics of iridescence, which links color and structure. I was also struck by the poetry of it: it is only by looking at something from different angles that we fully appreciate its beauty and complexity. Iridescence contains textures that shimmer, or that were created with processes that parallel the diverse directions, angles, and fluctuations that produce iridescence.

Iridescence

Still Standing Still is a expansion of sonic and formal ideas begun earlier works. This sculpting of time is inspired by the beautiful and fleeting nature of all our perceptions. These structural ideas were inspired by a 2001 viewing of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. In order to keep visitors from crowding around the display cases, a moving walkway carries scepters, crowns, and other ornaments are so stunning that one’s gaze can easily become fixed on an individual object or portion thereof. Unfortunately, such a fixation results in missing what follows! The experience is a wonderful analogy for how and why we should practice living in the moment.

Still Standing Still (2007)

An excerpt of the third section of Meru: Tracing Earth, a work based on sonification of GPS data

Meru: Tracing Earth (Snowfill—Section 3)

An excerpt from the second section of Meru: Tracing Earth, a work based on sonification of GPS data.

Meru: Tracing Earth (Second Section: Ruby River)

A taste of the audio from the neuroCAVE installation. Recorded on a ST 450.

neuroCave—live recording with Ambisonic mic

AmavasayaStudioRecording11.9.18

A Live performance of a work that sonifies GPS data in the flute and some of the electronic parts.

Meru: Tracing Earth live performance at SCI 2019



Linda Antas is a composer, arts technologist, flutist, and educator. Her work has been represented on festivals including the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), the Città di Udine International Composition Competition (Taukay Edizioni Musicali), the International Symposium on Electronic Art, the Sound and Music Computing Conference, and the Fifth International Congress on Synesthesia: Science and Art. She has been recognized by the Musica Nova International Competition of Electroacoustic Music, the Fulbright Foundation, the Bourges Electroacoustic Composition Competition, and has received commissions from the International Computer Music Association and various internationally-renowned performers. 

Her current research involves audiovisual works, real-time signal processing, sonification, and physical computing. Antas teaches music technology, interdisciplinary multimedia courses, and composition at Montana State University and is currently Vice President for Membership of SEAMUS.  Her acoustic and electroacoustic works are published on the Ablaze, TauKay, Centaur, EMS, and Media Café labels. In addition to (and sometimes in combination with) musical activities, she spends time in the wilderness and practices Buddhism.


Linda Antas

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