Edinburgh Napier University

  Shanshui is a work for flute and interactive media. Through the reception of sonic artefacts from the flutist during the performance, the software programme dedicatedly developed for this piece transforms the flute voice into visual artefacts that depicts scenery or natural landscapes of a shan shui (山水畫). It metaphorizes the flute instrument as an ink brush and the melodic phrases as strokes that ‘draw’ the mountain-water picture gradually within the given duration. The musical constructs also utilize extended flute techniques and alternative fingerings to imitate the oriental style of edge-blown wind instruments with the filtering and echoing effect to provide an aura of immensity and mystery to the scene.