Helios (ReduxThree)
2011
Animation and Electronic Sound by David Stout
Music Composed by Larry Austin
ReduxThree combines three prominent elements, a modular score written for two or more clarinets, an animated video exploring live 3D techniques and an electro-acoustic soundscape that blends both clarinet source material with electronic sound generated through the trans-coding of video images. The visual aesthetic, reminiscent of early vector based computer animation, evinces a “scratchy” hand-drawn approach created by the dynamic cross-blending of diverse 3-D models. This process is performed live using a variety of real-time control techniques and then edited into the final fixed composition. The imagery is inspired by celestial phenomenon, alchemical symbology and the metaphorical interrelationship of macro and microcosmic forms. Inherent within this lyric montage is the sense of cyclical change, where luminescent solar emanations impregnate strangely familiar landscapes begetting mysterious bio-synthetic processes.
The electronic sounds in ReduxThree are made possible by a system that utilizes the video signal to map varying levels of chrominance (color) and luminance (light to dark) to control sonic elements of pitch, amplitude envelopes, harmonic filtering and dynamic blending of multiple electronic waveforms. The sonic vocabulary has an unmistakable “classic” or retro reference that is similar in intention to the qualities underpinning the visual language, at once new and nostalgic.
