Greg Wilder

Melodic Expectation: A Case Study

Due to inherent limitations in our own perceptive and cognitive abilities, we find the anticipation and realization of unexpected events and connections (within certain parameters) extremely satisfying. We subconsciously predict moment-to-moment what’s going to happen next, and to a large degree, the fulfillment and/or denial of these predictions dictates the amount of creative enjoyment we experience.

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June 12, 2012

Moment of First Awakening

Moment of First Awakening (2012) is an audio-visual collaboration between musician/video artist Alison Conard and composer Greg Wilder.

In the spring of 1985, conductor Clive Wearing suffered from a virus that attacked his brain’s ability to form short-term memories. He was left with less than 2 minutes of recall at any given time.

To this day, Clive keeps a journal in a stilted attempt to record his existence:

8:31 AM: Now I am really, completely awake.
9:06 AM: Now I am perfectly, overwhelmingly awake.
9:34 AM: Now I am superlatively, actually awake.

Clive lives in a perpetual state of temporary standby. His entire awareness is limited to a tiny window of time — a momentary gap that creates for him a continuous moment of first awakening.

May 17, 2012

Infernum

While Infernum is a pure electronic work, its surface texture recalls acoustic instruments in real spaces — transformed and heightened in ways only possible through digital means.

Fleeting moments of nervous calm alternate with a terrifying wall of brass glissandi (up to 60 trombones!), creating the effect of a fear-response oscillating between the conscious and subconscious.

The video was assembled from footage and animations made available by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.

April 20, 2012