(hollowshell) for Spatialized Percussion Quartet

(hollowshell), for four spatialized percussionists and handheld objects, came about via years of experimenting with resonant percussion instruments and vibration-based motorized objects. When placed on bass drums and gongs, a simple motorized object such as a massage gun becomes exponentially louder and significantly more aggressive. The hauntological aspects of this combination of preparation and instrument begin to reveal themselves when the object is taken off: the resonance sustains quite long afterward. In a reverberant space, the effect of vibration-based objects on bass drums becomes spectral and ghostly, especially when paired with the sound of choreographed whirly tubes which occur halfway into the piece. (hollowshell) is my attempt to work through several modes of preparation between motorized objects and bass drums, paired with the concept of spatializing instrumentalists so that each listener and audience member has a different auditory experience based on where they are located within the space.

Sonic Separation and Spatialization→Dual Sonic Identity→Uniform Sound and Singular Sonic Identity.

Performed by members of Oberlin Percussion Group:

Kira Glanton- Bass Drum 1

Zeyi Guo- Bass Drum 2

Ruby Martin- Bass Drum 3

Nathaniel Valsania- Bass Drum 4

Coached and Directed by Ross Karre Performed on Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble concert, May 7, 2025. Video and Audio by Oberlin Conservatory Audio Services