the right to be forgotten for saengwhang, detuned harp, and string quartet
(2017)
the right to be forgotten is a single-movement work for saengwhang, harp, and string quartet. The concept of the right to be forgotten states that events of one's past that are no longer relevant in the present should be allowed to fall away so as not to carry excessive burden into one's present existence. This is especially problematic and complex, rife with ethical concerns. It is a distilled, simplified understanding of the concept of "leaving that which has happened behind to fall away" that fascinates me. Perhaps the application of this "forgetting" to the events in people's lives could be the mechanism by which a piece of music unfolds. On its surface, forgetting seems to contradict the underlying principle that music is connected with acts of memory. My question asks is forgetting necessary for memory?
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