| Wave Decay - Papakolea - Timothy Reinholz (Score) |
Wave Decay is a series of pieces addressing the impact of modern civilization on ocean ecosystems. This piece addresses pollution, endangered species, and naturalism in music through transcriptions of the natural environment and data transformed into sound.
Papakōlea is a green sand beach on at the southern end of Mauna Loa on Hawaii's big island. Along the hike to this beach is nothing but pristine ocean and untended beaches. Upon closer investigation, you find plastic waste of all varieties littered among the volcanic rocks. This inspired the creation of this selection.
The musical materials constructing this piece are sourced from two data sets. The wave pattern and durations are created using data by the Coastal Data Information Program, Integrative Oceanography Division, operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. From this data set, I utilized ocean buoy wave height, wave peak, and wave period. I improvised waves patterns that mirrored the wave structures and periods found from Hilo (station 188) to create a musical landscape. As a sonic allegory, the waves of sound are created by using repurposed plastic materials.
For the Viola parts, I referenced Roland Geyer et al., “Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made”. I translated the mean plastic lifetimes into structural constraints. For example, plastics used in building and construction last about 35 years. This correlates with the harmonic and structural building blocks of the piece where each year equals 1 quarter note. The same may be found with the mean textiles (textures) and packaging (ornamentation) of plastic materials.
This piece may also be performed as with just four percussionists, isolating a performance of the ocean waves. Above is a recording of this performance
References
Data were furnished by the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), Integrative Oceanography Division, operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. https://doi.org/10.18437/C7WC72
Roland Geyer et al., Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made.
Sci. Adv.3, e1700782 (2017). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700782
All video is CC0 1.0 Universal in the public domain.
This piece was digitally premiered on December 10th, 2023.