Inspired by: Frog Clan by Andrew Dexel
Artist Statement:
Inspired by Andrew Dexel’s Frog Clan, Buoyant is a short musical work by Adina Vlasov embodying amphibians’ dual lives: water and land. Underscored by pulsing drums - a tribute to Dexel’s Indigenous Nlaka'pamux heritage - pentatonic harp, piano, and marimba patterns swell and interplay as tadpoles would in their early, water-loving days. Soft, jumpy dissonances give ways to moments of joyful release and resolution before reaching “land”. This more grounded, middle section sees the frog in adulthood - bold, quartal piano voicings plodding over new turf - the strings. Naturally, the life cycle comes back around and we end once again as youngsters in a stream. The title, “Buoyant” references both the ability to float but also cheeriness and optimism, which can be heard both musically and seen visually in Dexel’s colourful, spirited artwork.