​Sonic Collaborations

​Clear Shapes explores the process of Ernest Ochsner's artistic journey to find and refine creative inspiration through painting and photography of landscapes. Ochsner regularly travels rural Nebraska to discover intriguing intersections between nature and cultivated land. He then returns to his home in Aurora, Nebraska to create new works of art.

Ochsner's journey inspires the materials and form of the composition. Improvised clouds of sonic gestures were transcribed from bird song and wind noises heard at Art Farm. These ideas are the creative germ of the first section of Clear Shapes. Gestures are gradually refined into melodic phrases and musical textures. As the melodies become more complex and grounded, the music pauses with a reflective silence. The composition then shifts into a soaring melody and modal chaconne which explores the intersections of bird song and composed melodies.