I am walking barefoot in the tea gardens. I see the roots of the tea trees which absorb the juice of the soil. Then I see orange trees, with longer roots. In an immense bowl, the amber tea infusion meet the juice dripping from the oranges, a colorful swirl in which enters a darker liquid, almost black but transparent. This is the juice from the coal mine. Workers were dying for its extraction.
Under the hills, there is a gigantic being, whose blood pulses through the tea trees, the orange trees and the mines.
I am now in the mine, closing on itself, the liquid is softly oozing. Amphibians are wading there. Bats live above and their rapid flight make the tunnel resonating.
Further, the hill has been dug dramatically, one can see its skin made of silica sand.
~
Those are tough fingers, nervous and agiles, jumping on the tea trees. Gathering non-stop, as quickly as possible.
The hands of a young boy caress the bushes, the branches. They’re evaluating the tenderness of the young leaves. The smallest three, at the tip of the sticks, are collected in the palm of the hand.
Sometimes, an old woman’s hand crumple some larger and darker leaves, freeing a strong and stimulating smell.
In an elder’s palm, dried leaves wriggle lightly.
In the empty up, the tip of a child’s finger spread out the rehydrated leaves.
~
I sneak into the forest.
Each time I get closer of a branche or a leaf, it starts moving and trembling.
There is a white dot near a fern. I come closer. It’s a snail, very pale color of white jade.
Stretching its eyes and body, its moving forward. It absorbs all the colors of the forest, like a negative black hole.
Then a damselfly is on a stick. Tiny silhouette, dark blue like velvet, oversized eyes. It seems to observe me, but I am invisible. It doesn’t dare to leave, it’s waiting to witness my passage.
A bird changing constantly its appearance. During one instant, it wears a rainbow. Suddenly it has a long tail with black and blue stripes. Then a long curved beak. Its feather are set in a permanent movement, giving to the bird the appearances of all the species which lived once in this forest.
~
Pashtai.
Shall they come ?
I float in the valley, I go back towards them.
Daytime, nighttime, I see them now.
Colorful woven fabrics, shining little bells.
I can’t hear, in dream there is no sound.
Images vanishes immediately.
Like a cave.
Or a river.
A spear.
Cries.
Chants.
Gestures for tying knots, tying blades of grass.
Sound artist and field recordist based in Taiwan. Sound designer/mixer for film. Audio documentary maker and electroacoustic
music composer.
Works inspired by ethnography, amphibian conservation, stories from the forests & mountains and marine biology. Collaborates with communities and individuals in Hakka villages and Indigenous territories....more
This stunning, beautiful project from Fujian duo Southeast of Rain 东南有雨 blends field recordings with rippling notes from the pipa. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 8, 2021
An otherworldly release uses modulated frequencies, feedback, & field recordings to explore the sensation of unperceived natural phenomena. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 29, 2020
Colin Andrew Sheffield (Elevator Bath) repurposes heavily manipulated jazz samples into gorgeously eerie soundscapes. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 20, 2023
Just imagine if these outtakes made it into EATEOT, the project would've been over seven hours! I love how "I Might Be Vanishing" is a stark contrast from other tracks, being only nine seconds. 913GA