I acknowledge and recognise the elders and families of the Whadjuk Noongar and Kaurna people, who are the traditional custodians of the lands on which this work was composed and premiered. I extend my respects to their ancestors, elders and families past and emerging, and to all First Nations people.

Archipelago is inspired by a series of sound walks I undertook with a group of artists around Apollo Bay, Gadubanud Country, Victoria. We would hike quietly while listening to the way each new set of sounds approached and receded as we navigated through them. I found this to be deeply beautiful and meditative. Our walks began through the pastures around Seacroft Estate, leading down towards the bay. Guarding the beach was a noisy bush-block filled with birds, butterflies and spiders, then the path descended to a white, choppy beach. On one side was a sandy stretch with intricate rock formations meeting the shoreline. In the early mornings, we’d run across it to avoid cavorting beach insects we called sea lice. On the other side was a minefield of driftwood and large, round rocks. After crossing over, we discovered that the rocks sheltered a small cove snowed over by crunchy, multicoloured sand with little curly shells. We found another path into the cove, through the bush and along a main road; we would sometimes walk through the valley and up into the Carisbrook Falls at the Great Otway National Park; the waterfalls fed into a fast brook where we hopped across the rocks. Further down the river, we would cross under a small bridge and weave around a steep cliff face. The narrow path opened up into another beach where we swam. At night and on rainy days, these places took on a completely different atmosphere, reflected in their unique soundscapes.

I was struck by the difference between familiar sounds within ever-changing and dynamic environments, prompting a more conscious aural awareness of the world around me. In writing Archipelago, I tried to capture this sensation of navigating slowly through complex and evolving landscapes. The piece comprises small, self-contained musical ideas that continuously emerge, intersect and withdraw from the main texture to form a sense of transience. I explore stasis and flow in this work - the music sits with and enjoys each facet as an overlapping, repeating cell. Elements of randomness support a natural flux, ushering in the spontaneity of organic landscapes. The chain-like form of ideas curates a journey through this imagined landscape, instilling a perpetual sense of departure from liminal ports.