Skylight

Collaboration with the Olson-Lyons percussion duo

Skylight by David Hall was written for and commissioned by Maria Finkelmeier and Jacob Remington. The piece is a technically and musically demanding percussion duet infused with intriguing textures & instrument combinations. The Olson-Lyons percussion duo commissioned this visualization for their performance. Taking a cue from the musical textures demonstrated throughout the piece, I set out to have the percussionists paint the sky with light. Designed for two microphone inputs, each lighting element reacts and develops throughout the piece. Percussive hits generate swirling light shapes while softer and subtler attacks create gentle light rays that cast down through the clouds.

Performances

PASIC 2014, Indianapolis, IN, November 2014
Numerous other performances across the country


Swirling blue lights reacting to mallet attacks throughout the piece.

The swirling shapes continue to evolve as the musical complexity increases.

Blue crescents form as softer rays of light shine from above. Each element uniquely reacts to the various attack strengths of the percussion instruments.