Flo Wilson

‘In The Stars’, a multi-sensory work for six silos, six loudspeakers, and six singers.

Premiered 16.02.2025, Silo Park, The Second Aotearoa International Festival of Secret Sounds, Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa NZ

In the Stars draws inspiration from the spectral and spatial possibilities of contemporary organ music, as well as the medieval choral traditions of Hildegard von Bingen, a renowned seer, herbalist and composer who lived nearly 1,000 years ago. Taking place in Tāmaki Makaurau’s Silo Park, each silo was ‘activated’ by a speaker, turning the space into a kind of giant hybrid organ, which the audience could move through freely. Utilising field recordings, interlocking melodies and chordal clouds that traverse the sonic spectrum, this piece reflects upon 1,000 years of human experience. Cascading voices reverberated around electric melodies, circling and fluttering around the silo complex, as earth-rumbling bass from the organ drew from the depths. The piece, straddling both minimalism and maximalism in equal measure, hearkens to the cosmos asking a fundamental question: how much have we really changed over the millennia?

‘In the stars’ reads both as a love letter to how far we have come as a people and as a lament to how humanity continues to enact regressive violent ideologies upon each other and all life on earth. It is a reminder for us to bear witness to ourselves and each other and recognise a fundamental truth - we are made up of the same stardust that links everyone and everything in the universe.

Thank you to choristers Anita Clark, Anna Fällt, Alannah Goldsmith, Chelsea Prastiti and Fergus Waveforms for your incredible performances. ✨

A very special thank you to Jeff Henderson for his vital belief in this project, for platforming it, and for his immense support throughout its development. Thanks to the Audio Foundation, my favourite refuge of sound in the whole world, to Sam, Grace, Tash and Matt. And thank you to Jessica Palalagi and the Arts Foundation for your ongoing support.