LOCALadk Magazine

20 Spring 2018 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Perhaps you've heard of the forest that sings to you at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Pete M. Wyer, the famed British composer, is the creator of this magical place, the iForest. Laced with 24 discreet- ly positioned speakers, ever y inch of the 1000 ft walking trail behind the museum's pond is a lush and welcoming immersive sound instal- lation. The peaceful surroundings envelop you in nature's harmo - ny, while Pete's choral work, titled "I Walk Towards Myself," floats through the air like a siren song pulling you further into the woods. Tranquility oozes from ever y tree, flower, and leaf, but this descrip- tion only captures a fraction of what this ethereal forest is all about. The iForest came to be after Pete spent time as an artist in resi- dence at The Blue Mountain Center (BMC) in 2013. "I completely fell in love with the area," he said. That newfound love for the Adiron- dacks, and his own personal response to those woods, inspired the composition that now greets visitors to the iForest. "I was ver y lucky to be introduced to The Wild Center by Ben Strad- er [Director of the Blue Mountain Center] at BMC ," Pete explained. "The Wild Center seemed to have just the right chemistr y for the iForest, and it was obvious from ever y meeting, conversation, and experience that they were deeply committed to their mission. It felt good to work with people of such integrity." For their part, The Wild Center felt good about the partnership as well. Stephanie Ratcliffe, the museum's executive director, recount- ing her early thoughts on the project, said, "I could imagine ver y clearly experiencing it. I knew it was going to be emotional, too." She recalls the museum working with Pete to help him prototype some of the technology. "He had to understand how the sound travels in that particular patch of woods. You'll notice when you're in there that the choral groups will talk to each other. Moving the sound purposely through the space was ver y important for him." Pete, who has had a "long-standing fascination with immersive sound," said that he feels it is the future of sound; that it's how we hear the world. "It offers a deeper experience because it's a better fit for our senses," he said. Influenced by the Mohawk language, and sung by the Grammy Award winning choral group, The Crossing – who he has worked with before – this hauntingly beautiful 40 -minute composition is moving at a level that goes beyond what words can describe. Walking Towards Yourself, And Others By Tamara Wilm

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