For Candles (2011)
a quadraphonic installation for four dripping candles
For Candles (2011), for four candles and live electronics, is entirely generated from the dripping wax of four lit candles suspended horizontally over contact-mic’d strips of glass. The drips are first presented without processing, revealing intricate accent patterns and polyrhythms between the subtly differing “metronomes.” Once a steadiness is established, the drips are then sent through delay lines whose timing is controlled by the rate of the “maestro candle”, and finally through pitched comb filters to create a four-voice waxen chorale. All processing is done in Max/MSP. Note: piece available in four-channel or stereo playback.
Watch a demonstration:
Watch a performance with choreography by Caitlin Poulton: