Written for the Saelvage Collective
Instrumentation: for four performers (Performer 1: Alto Recorder/Bass Recorder/Bass Drum/Voice, Performer 2: Violin/Viola/Voice, Performer 3: Melodica/Voice, Performer 4: Bass Drum/Violin/Voice)
Duration: 40 minutes
Premiere: July 16th 2023 – New Athenaeum Theatre – Ōtepoti (Dunedin)
Video Recording
About the Work:
This work is an exploration of a variety of ideas closely tied to Ōtepoti Dunedin. It takes as its point of departure, the ecological function and importance of wetlands, which prior to reclamation dominated the area that is now South Dunedin. The work explores ideas of what the loss of such vital ecosystems can mean, especially in the present with increasing adverse weather and flooding, something that affected Ōtepoti in 2015 with the extensive South Dunedin flooding, an occurrence that is becoming a concern across contemporary Aotearoa. The work incorporates ideas of both scientific data and ecological poetry to create a rich work that is deeply rooted both in time and place.
Nathaniel Otley 