Recyclate (2015)
Commissioned and premiered by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble.
Scored for flute, oboe, bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello
Inspired by El Anatsui’s Hovor II in the deYoung Museum in San Francisco.
Hovor II is a 15 foot by 15 foot "tapestry" created by El Anatsui, a Ghanian artist living in Nigeria. El Anatsui is particularly intrigued by recycled materials, and this monumental work served as a basis for Recyclate. From a distance, the work appears to be frozen in a state of motion, one that is hard to capture with a two dimensional photograph. Upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious that each individual unit is actually a piece of foil from a liquor bottle. The style of weaving is inspired by kente, a traditional Asante or Ewe cloth.
El Anatsui insists that this isn't necessarily African art, it's human art, as geographically based genres box in the potential impact of a work. Consumption and obsolescence are common to all cultures. I decided to recycle fragments and sounds that have been bouncing around in my head for years. Highly rhythmic, the work is a dance that glitters and turns on a dime, revealing the different styles and composers that have had the biggest impact on me.
Thanks to the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble for making this piece possible.