Exploration 02 – Transformation Through Attention

Deep Listening Exercises:

1. Taoist Face Wash: Felt good to move vigorously and violate all the anti-aging facialskincare boundaries of what our hands are allowed to do on our face. Woke up all my muscles and nerves by giving attention to each part of the body through slapping.
2. Good in Bad out (Chi Kung): My acupuncturist said my liver and spleen are out of balance, so I wanted to do this exercise that proclaimed to balance them. I enjoyed letting my heels fall to the ground with a thud, a contrast from my usually slinking relationship to the floor so as not to disturb my flatmates. I like the sudden release of breath and pose.
3. Abbreviated Yoga Sun Salute: Quicker than the full sun salutation, so I may use it in a time crunch later in life. Nice back stretch.

Received gift: Ableton Live 11 software (and the song Cate made on it)

-Cate uses this software to make music

-the colors were intuitive to her

-she starts by laying down the chords of a song

-she uses her phone voice memos app to quickly record melodies before she forgets them

I engaged with the gift by observing the timeline and effects and plug-ins use on this particular track of Cate’s. I watched Cate navigate through the software and listened to her explain her process of simultaneous song-writing and producing. I asked why she only used the one plug-in Melodyne (to clean up pitch in vocals). I noticed the quantity of tracks she had on this project, as well as thecomplexity exhibited in the visualized notes within each track.

I approached the gift with eagerness and curiosity, as I am a skill-hungry Ableton amateur, and regret how much focus I gave to my questions rather than listening to Cate’s full, uninterrupted explanation of her music-making process.

I made a layered bracelet out of fishing wire, Sculpey clay, and acrylic paint. I was fascinated by Cate’s order of operations. Considering how she starts writing a song by first laying down the chords, then finishes it by complementing these chords with some overlaid melodies, I decided to make a layered jewelry accessory, where thesecond wraparound of the bracelet is intentionally aligned alongside the first wraparound, while each wraparound is distinct in its aesthetic, i.e. the first is made up of many beads and the second is one long, lumpy bead. I thought to use beads because the colors that Cate appreciates in Ableton reminded me of smarties, or just general candy beads on a string. I thought this medium would highlight Ableton’s unique color palette.

If I had more time, I would like to incorporate the thin lines within Ableton’s interfaceaesthetic because I think these look interesting in their wiry-ness and techy-ness, in contrast to the playful rainbow colors. I might also like to make nicer shaped beads, or make them translucent by crafting them out of a different medium like resin or glass.

Process Pics:

Clay beads drying by fan and open window overnight. The fishing line would probably burn in the oven.

I based the beads off these banjo chords on a post-it I found lying on my desk. The number of fingers (represented by dots) required to play the chord determined the number of beads. I chose a different size and/or shape for each chord. The open G chord(no fingers) is marked by a beadless stretch of fishing line on the bracelet.

Painting and drying

Uglier than I expected but giving Dr. Seuss