sacrament

a cleansing ritual performed by avian undertakers
2006, optica festival, spain

wireless video capture and postproduction
carol lafayette

the soundspace of sacrament is constructed to compliment the textual choreography of the action. the basic acoustic landscape
is built from wild sound recorded with the original video footage, enhanced with transposed sampled events and post-processed
accents. placement of dynamics on the sonic stage was done with attention to effecting the two-dimensional presentation of a
three-dimensional surround.

along with the crafted soundspace of this post-natural video environment, an original musical composition was created, echoing
the unfolding revelation. the tonal palette used in this electronic score for sacrament was selected from performance recordings
of medieval chants written in honor of the martyr. more specifically, the sounds used were sampled from the space between
musical phrases: consonants that end lines, and the decay of resonance following the cessation of singing. these sounds were
used as a reference to the relationship connecting the cadence and repose between musical statements and the more concrete
conclusion and cleansing dealt with in the visual imagery.

soundtrack
original musical composition - morgan jenks
sound production - bill jenks