LOW GRADE was installed at Joseph Nease Gallery in summer 2023

As the environmental noise floor continues to rise and seek quiet with noise-canceling/noise-obscuring technologies, what effect do these responses have on our observance of our environs? By drawing attention to musical properties in the sounds of our surroundings, LOW GRADE asks if tuning our ears attentively to that which is around us can help us live more fully within the complexities of our histories.
Composed of field recordings from around the Mesabi Iron Range and in the shipping port of Duluth and supported with violin.

Composition, field recording, and video / Sara Pajunen
Video from Canadian National Docks in West Duluth
Mixed by Ted Reichman