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The electroacoustic work Aquasonique was chosen for Empirical Soundings - soundscapes from the commonwealth, an international call for surround sound installations, part of the cultural activities concurrent with the Commonwealth Games 2006 - Melbourne. More on Empirical Soundings…

About Aquasonique…

Aquasonic is an abstract interpretation of the inner journey of an athlete during a competition, in this case a swimming competition, from the first instance of plunging into the water until the end of the mission is accomplished. This route may seem short to external observers, but the inner state of consciousness may deal with this challenge otherwise during a competition. Mental imagery, self-verbalisation, inner brain wave rates and self motivation patterns are determining elements induced by the psychological state of the competitor, and are crucial for ultimate performance.
This composition is a sonic voyage into the mind of an athlete, during the multiple stages of a competition event, where self-motivation constantly pushes the physical barriers, which at times can be compromising and challenging, until finally the state of jubilation is attained at the end, during which a performance self assessment is subconsciously triggered. The sound sources are essentially water from a pool and a swimmers movements in the water, as well as sub-aquatic sounds. They were modified to represent what might be a complex network of inner forces regulating high performance output.