Soludenia

This work is the second part of a multi-part project, following on from Fifth Nature (2021). The work draws on ideas put forwards by Dr Lisa Nip that future exploration of planets will not involve terraforming but violitional evolution through synthetic biology to adapt to new planets. (See https://www.ted.com/talks/lisa_nip_how_humans_could_evolve_to_survive_in_space). Such bodily modification is an example of pantropy - a term first coined by science fiction author James Blish in the anthology The Seedling Stars (1957). As with many of my works, these concepts are infused with the visual art of Dariusz Zawadzki and Zdzsilaw Beksinski.

One of the key aesthetic drivers of the work was to manifest the physicality and detail of Zawadzki and Beksinski's and in doing so, to draw together techniques developed from acousmatic composition, commercial sound design, soundtrack work, as well as dark ambient and industrial music. It is this deliberate merging and development of aesthetics that results in these pieces being 'dark gothic surrealist soundscapes' - to adapt a description of Beksinski's work.

The synopsis of the album's six pieces is:

The synbio, Cerria, has led a loyal group of followers to the distant planet of Soludenia, hoping to find refuge from a dying Earth. Unknown to the new settlers, in the planet’s atmosphere are microbial lifeforms that cause strange hallucinations known as the ‘Kiss of Svorle’. Rather than terraforming the planet the new inhabitants decide to adapt themselves genetically to live symbiotically with these lifeforms. For some, the Augments, this adaptation sees their human capabilities enhanced, while others, the Chimeras, have aggressive mutant side effects and are cast out. A specially adapted group of tythlotic trackers protect Cerria and her followers. Cerria laments the loss of their utopian dream while the chimera roam the dark side of the planet slowly plotting their revenge.