Stilling (2023)

Program Note

       Stilling was inspired by the article “Global ‘Stilling’: Is Climate Change Slowing Down the Wind?" by Jim Robbins. The study of wind is relatively new, but as more tools are developed to measure surface winds and their effects, we’re beginning to understand that the importance of wind has long been underestimated. It plays an integral role in plant growth and surface cooling, and also drives the Gulf Stream, which creates global climates.

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       But wind patterns are changing- in some regions, the wind is picking up, destroying trees and exacerbating wildfires. In others, the wind is slowing down, or “stilling.” And as the winds diminish, the Gulf Stream creates more intense storms and harsher droughts.

       With this in mind, Stilling explores the different qualities of wind: how it can be soft and strong, invigorating and fierce, stagnant or tempestuous, soothing or unnerving. It asks, is it more unsettling when the wind is shrieking, or when it’s still?