In September, I’ll be premiering a new work composed for Invenio Singers in collaboration with sound designer Jethro Woodward called Spiral Now.

Presented by Monash University Performing Arts Centres‘ (MPAC) Progress Festival in the David Li Sound Gallery, Spiral Now examines the cycles of nostalgia triggered by our senses – for example, the huge wave that hits when the seasons shift, or with the smell of perfume as someone walks by.

Louisa Rankin, Gian Slater and Josh Kyle. Photo supplied

Sometimes it’s elusive. Sometimes it triggers a clear experience of déjà vu.

Within sections of composed material, ‘spiral now’ is an improvisational directive to immediately snap back to the original idea, like an instantaneous jolt of memory.

The idea for this work was inspired by three elements: collaboration, the conceptual theme and the performance space.

In my previous works for Invenio Singers, I considered the layering of musical themes and explorations alongside the collaborative process and audience experience. I strive to create a world with these elements, a world that feels cohesive yet mysterious, where these threads are...