the biophony project
this distance between us
In normal times, we navigate the distances between ourselves and the other through the daily rituals of the life-world. What can start first as a gulf of understanding between oneself and the other becomes bridged through custom and reflexive feedback.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all our daily routines and systems of relations, drastically widened inequality in all forms of society, and upset the equilibrium between our inner life and the external world. this distance between us is our ritual attempt to restore spiritual balance for those who perform it. Using the everyday cell phone technology that connects us all, half the musicians create a rich, unpredictable life-world of feedback, upon which the other half of musicians find self-expression through guided improvisation. Over the course of this ritual, what was outside becomes inside, and inside becomes outside, reconnecting the self to the other after a long period of separation.
Meet the Composer Team
Explore More Biomes
Each Biome represents a small group collaboration between 2-4 composers commissioned to create flexible, open-score pieces for outdoor performance and infinite combinations of instruments.
“Biophony" is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.