FRAGMENT LOOPS
CREATED WHILE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AT BOXO PROJECTS
JOSHUA TREE, CA
May 2022
Fragment Loops is a series of portraits of fragmentation in process. The work takes place in Joshua Tree National Park, unceded territory of the Cahuilla, the Chemehuevi, the Serrano.
Each loop stems from low frequency field recordings generated at the Silver Bell and El Dorado mines in the Hexie Mountains in Joshua Tree National Park. Both of these mines were in operation until the late 1950’s - extracting gold, lead, and copper ore. These low frequency recordings become the modulation source for an array of eurorack synthesizers and effects. Each loop runs for about 4 seconds, and repeats infinitely.
The piece exists as four cassette tape loops, each generating a moment in a larger theme of the colonial process of fragmentation - or simply taking what is whole and systematically and violently eroding away continuity until left with fragments. The work is focused on the legacies of ore mining, where a vein of material is forcefully extracted and pulverized before processed and entered into commerce. The analogy connected here is to the development of National Parks in the US, which similarly fragments and pushes place into commerce. Removing the people, in an attempt at idealized preserved nature.
Fragment I - Perpetual formation, the identity is process. Time-bases relationships are destroyed.
Fragment II - Erosion of collectivity occurs, shattering into singularities.
Fragment III - Displacement and removal, Preservation of imposed identity
Fragment IV - Collectivity re-emerges, quantum state of potential
Hear the work performed on Other Desert Radio:
