thin edge new music collective

Thin Edge New Music Collective’s digital multimedia series “Soundbites” has been several years in the making and includes three different music videos highlighting the works of composers Linda Catlin Smith, Carolyn Chen, and Jessie Cox  with videography by Ella Morton, Triple Pointe Media (Stelth Ng), and Soundstill Production (Tim O'Reilly)  and performances by TENMC musicians. 

First in the series is a music video to accompany TENMC’s recording of “Wanderer” by Linda Catlin Smith (Redshift Records). Linda notes she “called this work Wanderer because of its unhurried and meandering nature, its melodies that move circuitously, like fog or smoke drifting through the landscape.” She compares wandering to composing, stating “the exploration of new material is like ambling through strange terrain, in and out of cul-de-sacs, discovering possible paths.” 

The music video captures this meandering essence with the compelling and singular landscapes of the Faroe Islands. Directed by Ella Morton and filmed in August, 2023, it is entirely shot on 16mm film. A significant portion of the footage was treated with mordançage, Morton notes the “copper-based bleach lifts the emulsion off the film to create unique textures, blisters and veils”, lending to the distinct surreal quality of many shots. “My goal” Ella states, “in using this process is to capture the transcendent and fragile qualitie of this unique landscape.” Making a greater commentary on the environment, she adds “the ways in which the images melt and degrade highlight the spiritual power of the natural environment and also lament its irreversible change as the planet warms”. Using art as a tool to raise awareness, Ella sees herself as a “poetic activist” within her filmmaking practice, “articulating the profundity of our relationship with the land, and the emotional complexity of its change and loss as global warming unfolds.”

Our second release in the Soundbites Series, is “Pipe” (2004 rev, 2010) for solo flute by Carolyn Chen. Performed by Terry Lim with video direction by Stelth Ng,  “Pipe” was written in response to the rise in reported incidences of hate crimes after the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001. Chen's compelling and powerful work patches together musical materials with excerpts derived from the first line of the US national anthem. Discussing the filming process, Stelth remarked “This production was really special for me to direct and shoot. When I first heard the music and saw the musical score, I knew this was going to be a unique and powerful experience. With Terry on the flute, and Carolyn's wonderful compositional ideas coming to life together, I envisioned a more abstract, yet darker energy in play when we lit and shot this video.”