Guqin 古琴 cloud seeding《云的催化》
云 的催化/cloud seeding is a work for guqin and live electronics. Cloud seeding is the process in which chemicals are dispersed into the atmosphere to artificially stall or force rain and other weather phenomena.
As the performer plays, his music is collected by the program in abstract clouds. Once the clouds reach their capacity they begin to release the stored sounds, falling back down upon the performer. The performer must then continue his improvisation, reacting to the various ways his earlier improvisation has been re-introduced. The faster and louder he plays, the quicker the clouds fill. When the performer hears thunder, he must cease playing. This piece incorporates methods of improvisation, introspection and doing-without-doing or 为⽆为, all of which come from Buddhist and Daoist philosophies commonly associated with traditional guqin performance practice and repertoire. Through technology this piece bridges traditional and modern guqin performance.