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Work Overview
Our coral reefs were once vibrant, bustling under water cities complete with high rise structures and even rush hours for schools of fish. Each day, as the rays of sun hit the water, a morning chorus would emanate through the reef. The ecosystem was alive with purrs, grunts and groans: a noisy place. Described as the rainforests of the sea, our reefs were an explosion of colour, teaming with fishes, plants, invertebrates, sea turtles, and sea mammals.
In the past 30 years, 50% of the world's corals have perished through the process of coral bleaching. Cities of bright and beautiful colours have transformed into graveyards of eerie white skeletons. These biomes are disappearing seemingly unnoticed; the world under the ocean is largely out of sight and out of mind.
In 2015 in New Caledonia, the documentary crew for Chasing Coral stumbled upon a perplexing glowing radiating from the corals. The corals had become florescent, producing a chemical sunscreen to protect themselves from the heat. Though this transformational phenomenon is extremely stunning it is, in reality, an "incredibly beautiful phase of death". The coral was turning bright, and then eventually white due to stress.
When It's All Gone attempts to capture this moment, this last moment of brightness before imminent decay. The piece is veiled through a lens of a tender sadness, as though Mother Nature herself is comforting the corals. The mood created also reflects my own sorrow and guilt in witnessing the destruction of something so magnificent.
Work Details
Year: 2023
Instrumentation: Vibraphone, tape.
Duration: 5 min.
Difficulty: Medium
Written for: Claire Edwardes
Commission note: Commissioned by Musica Viva Australia.
First performance: by Claire Edwardes — 25 Oct 23.
Performances of this work
25 Oct 23: featuring Claire Edwardes.
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