“Alouette 1” is a performance project named for a derelict satellite that originally transmitted information on radio waves in the upper atmosphere. I used salvaged technology, instruments, objects, and the human voice to create sustained tone soundscapes and unexpected harmonic relationships. It acknowledges singing as a pre-language communication system with a potential for forming connections.

The project explores methods for making music in a dystopian future—what equipment and instruments we will have access to, and in what condition they will be. It uses electronic waste as part of the improvisations, welcoming their precariousness and the sounds they produce as a result. The project also embraces any communication difficulties of the performers.

Audience members are invited to become a part of the performance and to sing into the community mic, which is a series of contact mics that share only one input, prompting a closeness with strangers. Together, they sing long tones of their choice, creating a human drone. This creates a great deal of uncertainty and vulnerability, with the hope of strengthening relationships and having meaningful moments in an otherwise changing world.