Sound

Sound is a complicated thing to explain. It's both music and the non-musicality of music at the same time. It's both sound and the inherent beat and rhythm in it. It is the atmosphere and the melody of the atmosphere at the same time.

I think we need to think of a main atmosphere we want for the entire piece so that the soundscape can cohesively come together. I was actually thinking that because we are in the hospital, the sound would be sparse, almost dry but still with it's hint of depth. This plays up the sterility of the situation of the hospital ward, and everything seems to strike at us with the strident cleanliness almost blinding us. The drawback is that it does not say much about the characters.

However, if we want to play up the depth of the music and make sound an integral part, I also have a couple of ideas as well. Using very layered music helps brings out different textures for each character. I'll let you guys listen to some of the stuff by Sigur Ros and the like. I think we can work around that soundscape. Their music/sound is very layered, non-structured, and sometimes almost dream-like. We are in the air with their music.

Another one is Animal Collective or something along those lines. Their music is incredibly visual and industrial. The fast pace could help create a sense of industriality to the production. We can also play around with the beat etc. However, I'm still not sure if it's exactly applicable since most of their music is also in a major key. i.e. It's pretty happy music.

The other option is to really have a chorus of noises. Whispers, grinding of machines, echoes, reverberating tones, ECG pulses, beeping machines, the wind etc. It's difficult but it's the most flexible. However, the danger is that we do not let it shape our performance. It becomes an IT thing that is just there to fill in empty gaps. I believe the sounds should push us, prompt us in some way for our actions and the way we are.

Just a couple of thoughts here.