I would like to create a soundscape that uses ordinary, mundane sounds to tell the classic story of the hero's journey. The piece will consist of 3 "acts", or movements, which will reflect the acts that commonly compose writing that follows the structure of the hero's journey.
Movement I (about 2 minutes) will start with the call to adventure and end in the abyss. While the protagonist is in the known world, sounds will remain mostly recognizable, with little change to original tracks. The listener will be able to pick out sounds of mundane actions, and perhaps have an understanding of what the protagonist is doing. However, after crossing the threshold, the sounds will slowly cross into the surreal, as the character begins to encounter strange beasts and unexpected obstacles. The sound will build in both weirdness and volume, until reaching a climactic point and then falling to near silence, representing death.
Movement II (about 1 minute) will start with rebirth and end with atonement. The sound will start out sparse, tentative, as if the protagonist is re-learning what it feels like to be alive. The sounds will maintain the surreal quality, but with a few elements of the real world beginning to work their way back in. I would like to work some symbolism in to represent atonement: ideally, sounds of water.
Movement III (about 1 minute) will feel like a sigh of relief. After so long in the surreal, the sounds will finally return to something the listener's ears can recognize. Remnants of the unknown world may show up here and there, but for the most part the hero has returned to the known world with their newfound knowledge.
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