Philip Samartzis and Michael Vorfeld - Air Pressure (2024)

"Air Pressure" comprises field recordings made in Eastern Antarctica that highlight the impacts of extreme climate and weather on a variety of research stations and field huts and their associated infrastructure. These recordings serve as the foundation for a series of improvised musical responses using percussion and self-designed string instruments in combination with extended techniques that aim to intertwine the sound of materials, instruments, and environment.

"Air Pressure" reflects the instability of the south polar region, characterized by dynamic weather that generates a wide range of auditory experiences—from stagnant silences to sharp tonal contrasts. These mutable conditions are mirrored in tactile instrumental performances, which respond to the patterns, resonances, ruptures and chaos inherent in the Antarctic landscape and its constructed spaces.

"Air Pressure" celebrates the indeterminate forces and strange atmospherics operating at the margins of our planet within the framework of contemporary haptic performance. The dissonance arising from these tensions invites listeners to experience a unique form of sensorial engagement shaped by both tangible and spectral realities. This project thus underscores the complex interplay between powerful natural forces and human-made structures and objects set within one of the world’s most abrasive environments.