All field recordings are, in essence, composed spaces – this applies to the choice of microphones, their placement, and the duration of the recording. I therefore consider field recordings as the first stage of a composition. Field recordings are sonic ›snapshots‹ of real events. They take place outside of a  ›musically constructed world‹. However, this does not mean that they lack ›musical‹ elements. Over many years of composing and listening/recording, I have focused on the diverse connections between naturally occurring sonic events in our environment and our more constructed musical world. Each of the 18 selected excerpts is linked to the memory of having sensed or heard an integral ›musical‹ element at the moment of recording. This element is then enhanced through its combination with a musician and a musical instrument.

[…] In this series, each recording has largely been detached from its macro-structure/context, meaning that it can perhaps be heard as […] temporarily detached. Each interpreter – as a duet partner – has the potential to create a new context, shaped by the specific pairing. The interplay between instrument and field recording creates fleeting sonic spaces, allowing each of us to bring together music and our surroundings in a deeply personal way. Personal experiences influence the perception of the work and may alter the relationship between humans and nature

Karen Power is an Irish composer, improviser, sound artist, and field recordist. Much of the material she uses in her works is sourced from the natural world, often underwater. By blending these field recordings with instrumental sounds, she creates new sonic landscapes that blur the boundaries between what is traditionally understood as music and the broader world of sound. Her fieldwork has taken her to the Amazon, the Namib Desert in Southwest Africa, and the Outbacks of Australia. In 2015, Karen Power was awarded a fellowship at the Berlin Artists Program of the DAAD. In addition to her creative practice, she is also actively involved in educational projects, such as the »Natural Creators Program« which she founded. Karen Power lives and works in Cork, Ireland.

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