Rhyolite explores the artist’s understanding of landscape through sound, memory, and patterns.
Side A, features “Fence, Amargosa Desert,” by Chris Kallmyer. This piece documents a wind-activated sound installation made from 200 glass bottles round in Rhyolite, Nevada. The clear and green bottles, known to have been left there by glad miners, are hung on an old wire fence to catch the wind. The fence was created by Kallmyer in summer 2010 and recorded by Kallmyer and Andrew McIntosh on May 24, 2013.
Side B features new works, written by Julia Holter and Lucky Dragons, in response to Kallmyer’s “Fence, Amargosa Desert.” These pieces suggest different ways of seeing and hearing the northern reaches of the Mojave Desert. Holter’s “Why We Come to Californy” filters Dust Bowl-era sentiment through her unique voice and perspective, while Lucky Dragon’s collection of 5 pieces present meditations on the essential elements of the sonic landscape.