When talking to other artists, I have often spoken about my approach to electroacoustic composition and seeing the art as close to the plastic arts in the sense of layering sounds on a blank canvas which gradually fills, in layers, creating the whole image. Of course, there are differences in the way that sound art moves in time and develops; in this way, there is also an element of storytelling with a constantly evolving narrative. I do in fact use narrative visualisation in my pieces, a process which seems to suit me well.

I had also considered what kind of composer I am. The mode of composition and the means of construction are loosely termed electroacoustic since the materials I use often start as acoustic sound samples, treated electronically. I also discussed the idea of being experimental, which is often defined as there being no clearly planned outcome, sometimes referred to aleatoric music, based on chance, a style much used by John Cage in the 50s. But to this, can be added the process which shares much with painting; in the sense that I can leave a piece at any given time in a state of non-completion and then add other layers and images to develop my story further at a subsequent session. For example, literally a week ago i was walking home from an event with my feminist group when I heard what sounded like birds singing but this was about 11:30 at night, so I imagined it must have been something to do with the overhead tram cables. Anyway, I recorded it on my iPhone in mono. The following day, with a bit of spectrum filtering, I recovered the upper partials which found their way into the first movement; both chance and plastic art, so maybe, experimental. So, since many of the more common musical elements are not always to be found in these pieces, avoiding the word music can be helpful and Sound Artist is a useful and accurate description of what I do: painting with sound.

The piece was inspired by a dream I had about Sylvia Plath. As a result, I felt compelled to write it. I had been previously thinking about a song cycle based on poems by lesbian writers or something based on the contours of the female body. However, Sylvia Plath saved me from all that angst although I do see this piece as devotional and confessional. The title of the complete work 'Her blacks crackle and drag' is adapted from the last line of the poem Edge which appealed to me linguistically since the last line refers to the moon, hardly black; and then the words crackle and drag, though perfect in my view are unusual choices, and I like that.

The work was conceived as a whole but each mood suggests its own narrative thread. In fact, my music is always about people, feelings, and emotions, and I work best from a narrative line.

The narrative texts are short extracts from Sylvia Plath’s, ‘The Bell Jar’, the poem ‘Edge’, a fragment from Audre Lorde and a couple of lines of my own. One section, 'The Haunting' for example, uses fragments of a recording I made on my way home from watching a film about the women of the Bauhaus. As a committed and active feminist, I became quite emotional and angry at the way the women had been treated and, in particular, the Jewish women. So, these recordings, though not audio perfect, have documentary and aesthetic validity for me. Moreover, they were recorded minutes after the end of the film while my emotions were still wild and in a state of abandon, I recorded my feelings in Giardini Cavour, Torino with dogs barking and the rawness of my inquietude.

I feel very strongly about authenticity in art; in the sense that the act of creation has a purpose for the artist and, in that sense, this work is authentically me in response to my dream about Sylvia Plath. Moreover, the inclusion of some sound samples are symbolic for me, e.g. the Swiss cowbells which feature in the second mood were recorded by my ex-girlfriend in Switzerland and their inclusion is important to me since they are part of a life lived, even if I make them sound like chains in a more horrific scenario.

Structurally, the work sits in a classical tradition, I would even venture to say, in the French musique concrète tradition since my teacher, Denis Smalley, had studied in Paris and most of our study listening was of the French School; I can also trace this back to my interest in the Ars Nova of Notre Dame in the 13th and 14th century right through to the present day where influences have been Éliane Radigue, Felicia Atkinson and Claire Rousay, artists who have interested me (though Claire Rousay is actually from San Antonio, Texas). These artists, while appealing to a newer generation, are still composing electroacoustic music, as am I, even if my style is still based on concepts used in tape music.