Gabriella Smart

Parasymbiosis

RM4252

May 1, 2026

CD/Digital

A Note from Gabriella

Parasymbiosis – the ability of two separate organisms to exist closely together

I have long pondered the concept of connectedness in relation to life’s existence. The Dalai Lama teaches that destruction of one’s neighbour equates to destruction of oneself. In contrast, modern Western culture has placed the individual at the epicentre of existence – to the detriment of non-humans and humans alike. Ecological Memory influences present or future responses of a community; it is this shared memory that enables organisms, objects and the environment to connect to each other, and to the other. What happens when a community or ecological system loses this memory, this connection? The systems begin to break down; intergenerational memory evolves in rapid short steps, culture and connection becomes unrecognisable. Time speeds up.

Yet with the naked eye, the universe reflects slow time. Its very distance provides a sense of stasis. Understanding the night sky could very well be the vastness of time we have forgotten through our ecological memory, our loss of the visible difference between the likes of night and day; non-referenceable and dictated by intangible rhythms that exist beyond the cyclic elements of nature.

Through Parasymbiosis I imagined sounds of the inherent connection between the earth and the universe. Contemporary society has rendered invisible the heritage of the night sky and what it teaches us. The wonder and awe it inspires, in its pure, unadulterated form untouched by light pollution and modern satellite activity, has always informed non-human and human life cycles and human culture. In modern times, only 40% of human beings can still see the Milky Way. We have forgotten that the dark sky and the earth reflect each other – they are, as a metaphor, parasymbiotic.

The Electric Cristal (EC) features strongly in Parasymbiosis. It is a microtonal, electro-acoustic instrument that has captured my imagination through its deep and fragile resonance created by touching glass rods encased in aluminium. Ceated by Dylan Crismani (AUS) in 2019, the EC conjures vast soundscapes. Electronics exploit the volatile vibrations and random frequencies that the instrument generates. 

credits

releases May 1, 2026

Parasymbiosis was commissioned and developed by Art Zoyd Studios (Valenciennes, France) in March 2023 with percussionist Didier Casamitjana and Kasper Toeplitz on electric bass. Special thanks to Oudom Southammavong, Director of Informatique Musicale, Kasper T. Toeplitz, Associate Composer, Monique Hourbette-Vialadieu, Director (Art Zoyd Studios), Martyna van Nieuwland, Yasser Hussein-Yassin and Lawrence English.

Gabriella Smart – Composition
Performers – Gabriella Smart (Electric Cristal), Kasper Toeplitz (bass, electronics) and Didier Casamitjana (percussion, electronics)
Commissioned by Art Zoyd Studios, Valenciennes France
Recorded live at Music Meeting Festival, Nijmegen, The Netherlands on May 20 2024 (world premiere)
Design by Traianos Pakioufakis

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