[ISEA94] Artist Statement: Akemi Ishijima – Ab Ovo

Artist Statement

The starting point for composing Ab ovo was the motion of a pendulum. This means that I have to imagine a sort of sound, perhaps a tiny air vibration caused by the passage of a pendulum, and represent it musically in an electroacoustic sound space. Ab ovo is the final abstraction of such a compositional process. Although the primal pendulum sound I made is no longer left in its original form, two aspects of the motion of the pendulum – periodicity, and the stopping of motion caused by some interference – are reflected in various ways throughout the piece.

However, you do not have to follow these relationships to enjoy this journey through my imaginary spaces and soundscapes. I would like to thank Anne Scarlett and Julian Taylor for their friendship and tolerance in providing some of the most remarkable source sounds. Ab Ovo was realised in the Electroacoustic Music Studio at the University of East Anglia. The first performance was given in ‘The Electroacoustic Voice I’ concert at the University of East Anglia on 1 November 1993. Duration 13’50”.

  • Akemi Ishijima was born in Tokyo. She studied Electroacoustic Music at EMS and The Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Her works have been performed and broadcast throughout the world. She was the recipient of the Swedish Music Academy Scholarship and completed the degree of Master of Music in electroacoustic composition at the University of East Anglia, where she is currently studying for the degree of Ph.D under guidance of Dr. Denis Smalley.