Cycles of Healing
Sound Installation : CSQB Residency ( ) { Centre for System Modelling and Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Birmingham, Jan. 2020–21; };
Cycles of Healing is an evolving composition based on the research ‘Uncovering the links between stress hormones and inflammatory mediators during and after cardiac surgery’. PI: Ben Gibbison (University of Bristol). Co-Is: Eder Zavala, Jamie Walker (University of Exeter), Gianni Angelini (University of Bristol), Stafford Lightman (University of Bristol), Daniel Galvis. The work is generated in real time and evolves in a recursive trend. It’s composed of five sound sources behaving independently, however, the behaviour of each source affects those of the others. The system slowly moves from states of instability (or inflammation) to states of harmony (or healing). The result is a self-sustaining digital organism whose continous cycles of instability and harmony give structure to the piece. The graphic score below illustrates the relationship between each source. The hormones ACTH and Cortisol make up the harmonic axis of the piece, oscillating at 110hz. The outer triangle (Speakers Array) is made up of the inflammatory mediators TNF-α and IL6, and an Inflammation source. During the period of a cycle, the outer triangle moves from dissonance towards consonance with the harmonic axis.