Abstracted Hexagonal Ruin

The research field is electroacoustic composition and associated concert presentation in surround-sound environments. Influences include composers: Natasha Barrett, Ake Parmerud, and Florian Hecker, and improvising performer-makers: Nicholas Collins, Derek Holzer, John Bowers. The historically innovative use of surround sound by Trevor Wishart and Denis Smalley is of note, especially their emphasis on composing specifically for 8 channel systems with a particular focus on the hands-on and tactile nature of diffusing sound. Our overall research agenda is to foreground the role of highly physical sound spatialisation in multichannel surround sound environments, our research goal is to enhance the experiential and gestural clarity of electronic music in fixed media contexts.This 8 channel fixed media electroacoustic work explores lively approaches to performance-based compositional practices in a duo context. It is created using a modular DIY handmade electronic music system designed and built by the authors. The initial form was created by capturing iterative improvisations with the system and then overdubbing additions, including gestural manipulations of ceramic tiles and other objects processed with resonator and granulator techniques; all elements were multitracked to facilitate presentation in an 8 channel format. The final surround sound spatialisation was performed using Ableton Live software and a range of hardware controllers.Abstracted Hexagonal Ruin was peer reviewed and selected for concert presentation at New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), a major international conference/festival and one of the largest of its kind in the world. The work was presented using a unique surround sound speaker system on June 24 2025 in the Frank Shiner Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture on historic Bleecker Street in New York City.