Students to perform ‘sonic portrait’ of Portneuf Valley at ISU on Friday night
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POCATELLO — A multimedia performance at Idaho State University Friday night promises to transform the sounds and data of the Portneuf Valley into music.
The performance, titled “Blackstone and Iron,” blends music, visuals and custom-built technology to create a live “sonic portrait” of the region, according to a social media post promoting the event.
The Audio/Video Electronic Ensemble is a new group at the university, focusing on digital media with live performance. Jonathan Armstrong, co-director with Eddie Ludema, says the “Blackstone and Iron” project explores how environmental data can be translated into artistic expression, offering audiences a new way to experience familiar surroundings.
The production draws on months of technical and creative development. Ludema wrote custom code that converts topographic data into musical signals that are fed into synthesizers; he says the result mirrors the rise and fall of the valley terrain.
“We wanted to bring together the sounds and tech we learned about into a work that somehow depicted the Pocatello region,” Ludema explained. “We settled on a piece that creates a sort of arch — sunrise, trains and sunset — combining the natural and industrial elements that define this area.”
The performance also brings together traditional and experimental elements.
Principal string players Hyeri Choi and Eleanor Christman will perform alongside the electronic percussion assembled from salvaged materials. Even the acoustic instruments are digitally processed, transforming their sound into shimmering textures meant to resemble light moving across the valley.
The show incorporates time-lapse visuals and field recordings, including the sounds of trains that move through the valley. These elements, together, form a multisensory experience that captures the rhythm of daily life and the deeper geological story of this area, the show’s creators say.
“Blackstone and Iron” will be performed Friday evening at Goranson Hall, on the ISU campus. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and is free to the public.
Audience members are encouraged to come with an open mind.
“Come expecting some new sounds and sights,” Ludema said. “A lot of things are built from the ground up, so it can be really eye-opening — or ‘ear-opening.'”