'Gentle Sediment' is the third work in the Barely series. Barely is a paradigm of composition, sound-art and multi-media addressing the relation of the composed work to perceptual and social frameworks that emerge at the 'experienced threshold', and how these external frameworks influence the work's intrinsic structure. The 'experienced threshold' is the point at which we actively perceive meaning rather than passively receive mixed information. In terms of sound it is directly connected to barely audible, yet highly detailed information.
Gentle Sediment is an acousmatic work designed such that details in terms of volume, frequency, space, sound identity and structural relationships over all time scales can be performed to function at the experienced threshold under different concert situations. For some listeners the work offers a minimalistic and meditative experience. For others its low volume and shimmer of details may evoke the opposite experience of active listening and heightened awareness, enticing the listener into a state of attention, concentration and a sensual experience.
The Barely project was researched, and the different parts composed, under a stipend from the Norwegian Cultural Council, 2006-2008.