A North American Human Life is a 5-channel fixed media electroacoustic piece that is a reflection of many concepts in our society: the “American” way of life, individuality, Romanticism and economic materialism. Each minute of the piece represents 16 years (Hexadecimal) in an average North American life (0:00–1:00 = 0–16 years old, 1:00–2:00 = 16–32 years old, and so on). Many “life passages” that are learned at a young age are sonically represented throughout the piece. Human life and joy, or conceptually, Eros (new life, happiness, comfort), as well as stress, or Thanatos (anxiety, depression at a certain age, drugs and party at early adult life) are sonically identified as different sound objects that travels through the piece along with life-changing events that occurs at specific moments. This electroacoustic piece is a mixture of recorded sounds (cymbals, cups, metallic bowls, piano and saxophone) and synthesized sounds from the Doepfer A-100 analogue modular synthesizer. To break from the dullness and monotony of the numerous cyclic sounds objects created with the Doepfer, a multitude of technique was used to complexify each sound: phasers, tremolos with varying frequency rate, motion through the channels, variable hi-cut and low-cut equalizers and grain delays with time-varying parameters.

Source: 2017