seeing motordom for the first time
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0cd8d3c9-c144-4138-bb15-3b50d2dd12a4_320x240.jpeg)
Three years ago I wrote my first wind ensemble piece inspired by Keith Sonnier's light installation "Motordom." I thought the metaphor for the piece was apt: both the wind ensemble and neon signs had bold, loud colors in their set.1 However, I have a confession to make:
I never saw this installation—I merely saw photos on the Internet.
I know I'm not the first composer to write a piece inspired by the unfamiliar: didn't composers incorporate rhythms, melodies, or instrumentation to evoke the atmosphere of "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"?2
Well, during my last night in Los Angeles, I finally saw it.
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