loss

Between September and November of 2024, I turned to sonic art making to cope with personal grief and to reestablish a sense of purpose after a family loss. Like a ritual, I developed a weekday routine, working in my studio from 1:30 to 5:30 PM consisting of field recording and improvisation with sine waves and objects. From this material, I composed six pieces that emphasize continuity and repetition, drawing on coarse, low, and deep resonances to embody the ritualistic dimension of the work.

During this process, I engaged with Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus, where he explores meaning in a universe he sees as inherently meaningless. He describes the human condition as absurd—a conflict between our deep desire for purpose and the silent, indifferent universe that offers none. Yet Camus argues that even within this absurdity, we can create meaning through our actions and attitudes. While Sisyphus’s task is meaningless, his defiance and ability to embrace his labour with a smile transform his punishment into triumph.

This Sisyphean routine gave to my grieving artmaking a ceremonial sense, offering a refuge from the crushing weight of loss. In this regard, I found a connection between my practice and Sisyphus rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to fall back down for eternity. Mourning feels pointless and yet necessary. Grief becomes endurable once it becomes an artistic ritual.

The ceremonial process and emotional context of this work revealed the transience, unrepeatability, and futility of each fleeting moment that comprise life.

Dedicated to my dad, Álvaro Octavio Vélez (1942–2024), an architect who encouraged me to love and appreciate music since my earliest childhood.

(David Vélez, November 2025)

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