Ice Bubbles (2023) - Live Performance

Ice Bubbles (2023) explores plucked and bowed overtone techniques through an animated graphic score. The work represents a ten-minute ferry journey from the island of Suomenlinna to Helsinki during the Finnish winter, with the double bass - laid flat on its back - metaphorically positioned as the boat. The piece sonically reimagines the experience of daily ferry transit, during which the vessel would break through layers of frozen sea ice from shore to shore. An animated image of a floating ice sheet - referred to as a gradient map - is projected either onto the double bass, or onto a large screen. Within this animation, four coloured gradients and aluminium foil represent varying densities of ice, which are interpreted sonically by the performer. An identical version of the gradient map is displayed in the Decibel ScorePlayer software, using its canvas mode to coordinate the animation alongside a series of generative overtone pitch sets. These pitch sets are interpreted by the performer in real time, subject to a range of parameters and electronic effects specified in the score. Performance and Composition: Helen SvobodaScore programming: Ciaran Frame Photography: Helen Svoboda Live Sound: Tilman Robinson, Sam Maguire Filmed and recorded live at APAX Warehouse (Melbourne), June 19 2025