ATMO-SPHERE

ATMO-SPHERE was created as a musical response to the experience of encountering and entering John McKinnon's sculpture, Atmo-Sphere. The composition explores the movement between the everyday world and a more imaginative, dreamlike space.

Field recordings, voices, environmental sounds, and instrumental performances are woven together to create a dialogue between the human and the mysterious, between the familiar and the unseen. Moments of apprehension and wonder are balanced by playfulness, curiosity, and a sense of discovery. Throughout the piece, sounds from the landscape, the sculpture itself, and the human voice intermingle, inviting listeners into a world where reality and imagination gently overlap.

The voice heard throughout the work is performed by my longtime friend Carling Stephen. Emerging first as a distant presence and later as a source of warmth and reassurance, her voice serves as a guide through the emotional landscape of the sculpture—from the first glimpse of Atmo-Sphere through the trees of the Sculpture Forest, to the experience of entering the structure itself and discovering a place of refuge, stillness, and joy.

An inscription on the floor of the sculpture quotes the poet Rumi:

"Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation."

This composition was created in reverence to that sentiment while also embracing its paradox. Though silence may be sacred, we human beings are compelled to respond. We sing, tell stories, make music, and search for meaning through sound. ATMO-SPHERE is both a reflection on the silence honoured by Rumi and an acknowledgement of our enduring desire to reach toward it through creative expression.

Sounds recorded from the sculpture itself were transformed and woven into the composition, allowing the structure to become both subject and instrument. The piece is not intended to explain the sculpture, but to accompany an experience of it.

As I spent time with Atmo-Sphere, themes of encounter, apprehension, exploration, stillness, moving inward, and ultimately reflection and transcendence continually surfaced. My hope is that the music expands the emotional landscape of the sculpture while remaining rooted in the experience of the place itself.

Many thanks to John McKinnon for creating the sculpture that inspired this work, and to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest board, community, and volunteers who continue to make this remarkable outdoor gallery possible. It has been an honour to contribute to a space where art, nature, and community meet.

Credits

Composition, Production, Mix and Master: Nicholas Russell
Voice: Carling Stephen
No Generative AI was used for this recording

Created for the Haliburton Sculpture Forest