The Winter Stars

Electroacoustic Composition & Multimedia Installation

The Winter Stars recreates the landscape of the darkest moon cycle of winter 2015-2016 in Ólafsfjörður, Iceland. From December 11, 2015 to January 9, 2016, photographs were taken of the night sky revealing cosmic gestures invisible to the naked eye: star trails, clouds, snow trails, the aurora, all in different combinations.

These photographs were precisely translated into sound using flutes, field recordings, and electronic processing. Each image became a one-hour composition; a sonic transformation of the time needed to create a star trail photograph. The complete soundscape lasts 30 hours.

The Winter Stars is available to purchase in a limited edition USB Drive and photography book as well as a digital download through bandcamp.

stars moving across the dark night sky in different colors of white, orange, dark blue, and grey in concentric circles

An international knitting circle created hundreds of “snowball stars.” Some knitters joined in public gatherings and others from their home, including new friends in Iceland, friends in southern California, and my mother in Illinois. The suspended snowball stars illuminate the dark exhibition space; they are simultaneously snow, stars, planets, and lights connecting every looped gesture into the cosmos.

These elements come together to create The Winter Stars; it is at once a sound and light installation, a long-form composition, a community gathering, and a collection of photographs.

Credits:

Rachel Beetz - Recording, Sound/Lighting Design and Engineering

Dustin Donahue - Pure Data Programming

Knitters:

Stephanie Aston, Sara Ballance, Rachel Beetz, Sharon Beetz, Hrönn Hafþórsdóttir, Alda Ólfjörð Jónsdottír, Leslie Leytham, Michael Matsuno, Rósa Kristín Óskarsdóttir, Christine Tavolacci, Alda María Traustadóttir

Special Thanks To:

John & Sharon Beetz, Jennifer Bewerse, Dustin Donahue, Jessica C. Flores, John Fonville, Vilhjálmur Hróarsson, Ástriður Ískleif, Nichole Speciale, Curt Miller, Bókasafn Fjallabyggðar – Siglufirði & Olafsfirði, Hornbrekka Retirement Home, Listhús Artspace Ólafsfjörður, Ólafsfjörður Museum of Natural History, Tjarnarborg Culture House

Financial Support:

Listhús Artspace Ólafsfjörður

Dean of Arts & Humanities UC San Diego

UC San Diego Department of Music