Iridescent Hues was written in collaboration with choreographer Annie Ellis and videographer Matt Starr for the Hammer and Nail 2013. The collaborative process started with the music. From there, Matt and Annie developed a video to accompany the performance. Since the music came first, I was tasked with setting the tone for the entire three-pronged collaboration. I wanted an electronic piece that was earthy, rhythmic, and colorful. 

 

In my search for a sound palette, I looked over to my lonely, dusty guitar. I wiped off the guitar and began experimenting with its sonic possibilities without actually knowing how to play. Then, I recorded myself playing percussive sounds on the body of the instrument as well as inciting the open strings that were prepared with rubber bands, paper clips, and other external objects. After I built my guitar sample library, I processed the sounds using the computer to create a dichotomy between real sounds and the electronically produced ones. All the sound material in the piece is from that guitar.