Swan Song, the album features 16 tracks recorded during a Glenfiddich Residency in the summer of 2019, focusing on two stills from the Balvenie Distillery that were retired on June 28, 2019 after serving for 12 years. The swan neck portions of these stills were cut and repurposed as resonators for sound due to their gramophone-like shape. Recordings from various locations within the distillery—including the Robbie Dhu Spring where water first enters the Glenfiddich property, the cooperage floor where casks are repaired, the vats where barley germinates, the bottling floor, and a choir of William Grant & Sons staff (who also work at Balvenie and Glenfiddich)—are played through each swan neck.
Each choir member volunteered two short vocal recordings: one of the highest pitch they could produce and one of the lowest, each held as long as possible. These recordings are processed through devices that mash them up, treating them kinetically, acoustically distilling them, and mechanically mangling them.
Exhibition History: 2020 Christie Contemporary (Toronto, Canada), 2019 Glenfiddich Residency Art Gallery (Dufftown, Scotland)
Press: Cianciotta, Aurelio. “Marla Hlady & Christof Migone – Swan Song.” Neural: Critical digital culture and media arts. November 9. 2023. https://neural.it/2023/11/marla-hlady-christof-migone-swan-song/
Rose, Brad. “The Capsule Garden.” Foxy Digitalis, vol. 2.11, March 2023.
Revue&Corrigée: Surface Écrite Des Pratiques Sonores Expérimentales. Issue 137, septembre 2023.
See also: Swan Song
