I had always wanted to go to New Zealand, though the origins of my interest remain cloudy to me. I am grateful that my daughter Anna and her husband Peter love to travel, live abroad, and bring me with them when my working and family life at home allow for the time.
I didn’t know that in New Zealand, a huge volcanic eruption completely changed the area in which we are staying. We took a hike through the park and witnessed the heat, the cold, the rain, the drama, the sounds of birds and geysers. I couldn’t help but think of the effort that the earth undertakes in each second. It’s usually hidden from us, but not here. Here you hear it.
I am aided in these observations by two people who have helped me listen. First, my brother Richard, who would have turned 81 a few days ago had he survived another year. He didn’t, and it’s now been 6 months without him. His spirit was with me on this walk, in part, because the sounds we heard were so biological. This was his specialty. Catching and recording for the rest of us what only he could hear.
And second, my long time collaborator, Darron L. West. Every time I record something because of its sound, not its look, I think of Darron. Sometimes I send him the videos. I have no idea what he does with them. But for me, they are a sign of my gratitude. He has made the performance worlds I try to concoct for others more real and more mysterious. Quite a trick.
Today we will go to a forest, a lake, a Kiwi Hatchery and …well we will see.
