Please note that this is an on-going project.
Project Description
Ordinary plastic objects transformed into extraordinary soundscapes.
A sonic journey into the world of plastic, featuring 11 exquisite musical compositions accompanied by evocative animations, that explore our complex relationship with plastics.
Drawing on decades of sonic curiosity across the fields of classical, jazz and experimental music traditions, pianist Erik Griswold, violinist Anna McMichael, percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson and video artist Nick Roux join forces for the first time to ponder one of the most significant problems of our time – our complex relationship with plastics.
The music explores playful, intricate rhythmic patterns that mirror the structures of plastic molecules, evoking the feeling of both innovation and fragility. Some pieces express a nostalgic longing for a time when seas were cleaner, while others present a stark, reflective look at the friction between futuristic hopes for sustainability and the tough realities of our plastic-filled world. Each work is accompanied by evocative animations of breathing plastic bags, falling raindrops of plastic bottles, swaying colourful straws, and dancing gladwrap-encased rocks.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
This is a publicly disseminated project through international recording release (played on radio/streamed worldwide), performances at WSF and other nationally significant venues.
Outcomes to Date
Recording to be released on UnSound label (The Netherlands);
Performance at World Science Festival Brisbane March 28th, 2025;
Performance at Easter at the Piano Mill 2023;
Project Significance
Raising awareness about plastic waste;
Raising awareness about decomposition timelines of plastics;
Raising awareness about the manufacture process of plastic;
Interpret how interventions in this process might have future impacts.