Whirlpool

Nature is not synchronized. Wave or swarm movements, for example, only appear synchronized at first glance, when many beings move in parallel in the same direction. But then the current encounters an obstacle—the water, for instance, hitting a reef. Suddenly, a counter-movement unfolds as a disruption in the synchrony; parts of the water masses flow back, other parts continue flowing; molecules attract each other, others break away from one another and form new bonds, creating an ordered chaos from which a second, different kind of synchrony soon develops. And so on and on. Gazing at the ocean is a fascinating experience, because the movement of the water is a spectacle whose structure is constantly changing. A theatre play, in a state of perpetual flux.

John Luther Adams’ orchestral piece ...