A Space for Comfort, Prayer, and Contemplation
Instrumentation: Generative 4-channel sound and accompanying real-time visualization
Duration: Indefinite
Program Note:
Send Light is a generative audio-visual work of indefinite length composed using Pure Data. I created this work during a time of crisis when I wanted to be able to share something like a “quilt or blanket of sound” with a loved one across geographic distances.
The work consists of gestures constructed out of recordings of a marimba and a vibraphone which transpose every 25 minutes and are randomized so as never to repeat. Over this sonic background is suspended a series of 40-odd readings by the composer of poems and prayers, with the readings progressing every 8 minutes.
The work is intended to be heard via a quadrophonic speaker array, enveloping the listener in a wash of bright, resonant sounds coming from every direction. It may also be experienced more intimately via headphones. The optimal space for listening is a room with dim, warm lighting or a space illuminated by candlelight.
Peter A. Underhill 