Philip Samartzis and Michael Vorfeld

Air Pressure

DRM4191

December 6, 2024

Digital

“Air Pressure” comprises field recordings made in Eastern Antarctica that highlight the impacts of extreme climate and weather on a variety of research stations and field huts and their associated infrastructure. These recordings serve as the foundation for a series of improvised musical responses using percussion and self-designed string instruments in combination with extended techniques that aim to intertwine the sound of materials, instruments, and environment.

“Air Pressure” reflects the instability of the south polar region, characterized by dynamic weather that generates a wide range of auditory experiences—from stagnant silences to sharp tonal contrasts. These mutable conditions are mirrored in tactile instrumental performances, which respond to the patterns, resonances, ruptures and chaos inherent in the Antarctic landscape and its constructed spaces.

“Air Pressure” celebrates the indeterminate forces and strange atmospherics operating at the margins of our planet within the framework of contemporary haptic performance. The dissonance arising from these tensions invites listeners to experience a unique form of sensorial engagement shaped by both tangible and spectral realities. This project thus underscores the complex interplay between powerful natural forces and human-made structures and objects set within one of the world’s most abrasive environments.

credits

released December 6, 2024

Field recordings by Philip Samartzis
Percussion and self-designed string instruments by Michael Vorfeld

Recorded and produced by Philip Samartzis and Michael Vorfeld
Mastered by Philip Samartzis

Cover Image: Meteorological Building at Wilkes Station by Philip Samartzis (2016)

Air Pressure is produced with the support of the Australian Antarctic Territory Arts Fellowship program which hosted Philip Samartzis in 2010 and 2016.