Abstract
From Edward Abbey to Georgia O’Keefe, the desert holds a mystique for writers and artists who attempt to cull beauty, texture, and meaning from what many perceive as an empty space. Grammy-nominated, Arizona musician Steve Roach revolves his art around desert spaces, translating these visuals into ambient music that stirs the soul just as much as O’Keefe stirs the soul visually through her art. Struggling as a “high-sensitive” from childhood, Roach found peace in the desert and takes the qualities of the desert and turns it into a creative compass for his life and music. He has released nearly 200 albums since the early 1980s, making him one of the most prolific and significant cultural figures of the American school of electronic/ambient music scene. Living in the Sonoran Desert south of Tucson, Arizona, Roach uses the inspiration of desert spaces to find peace in the cacophony of life, a place where he discovers moments of what he calls “suspended time.” He takes those inward moments of slow-paced, quiet places and translates them into music. It’s his way of sharing what he discovers to his listeners, some so trapped by the rushing time-clock of everyday life, that they value the liminal doorway Roach’s music opens up for them. This study includes theoretical frameworks and video clips from my work-in-progress documentary on Steve Roach as I confront how to visualize the image as it relates to what Roach calls, “living in the sound current.”
Presenters
Kurt LancasterProfessor, Creative Media and Film, Northern Arizona University, School of Communication, Arizona, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Music, Sound, Desert, Steve Roach, Documentary
