Sample of commissioned work, Sounding The Ice Factory, from the European Marine Board. 

Warm water intrusions may now likely be accelerating Antarctic ice loss with a consequential increase in global sea levels. Should the increasingly fragile ice shelf break away, it will be like a cork being taken from a bottle. The Antarctic ice sheet will quickly slide into open water. The collapse of Pine Island glacier alone is predicted to contribute to a 1.5 metre rise in global sea level. 

All of these elements are implied in the behaviour of the overall system; the temperature of water, the concentration of salt, the rate of current flow, the wind and its ability to transport ice formed in polynyas (openings in the sea ice cover), the rise and fall of the thermocline; the depth at which cold, salt rich surface water meets warmer, deeper water. The thermocline plays a pivotal role in determining the future state of the Antarctic ice sheet.

Thermocline

For each of the live shows on our five-date tour of Italy in October/November 2018, we adapted the performance to each of the very different venues. As well as the acoustic properties of the space and the PA system, we incorporated something of each venue's character, and at Mikasa, it was the creaky stage, which opens and closes this recording.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible: Daimon (Simon Balestrazzi, Paolo Monti, Nicola Quiriconi), who organised and managed the tour, as well as performing their own fine shows, and to Antonio Altini at Mikasa for the attention to detail.

Live at Mikasa, Bologna, 3 November 2018

Five minute excerpt of The Alchemists by Black Glass Ensemble
The work was premiered at The Queen's Hall Edinburgh on February 13th 2020 and was broadcast the same evening on BBC Radio 3 Unclassified.

Michael Begg: scores, data, keys, electronic erosions, shells, e-bow autoharp
Ben Ponton: field recordings, electronic forensics, pebbles, lap steel guitar
Aisling O’Dea: violin
Julia Lungu: violin
Clea Friend: cello, voice
Neil Cuthbertson: trumpet
Jen Cuthbertson: French horn
Douglas Caskie: tuned and bespoke percussion

The Alchemists. BBC R3 edit

Michael Begg is a sound artist, composer and musician based in East Lothian, Scotland.

https://linktr.ee/michaelbegg

Thermocline

Michael Begg

Related tracks