Lichen is a musical narrative representing the cyclic flow of nature from the perspective of the organism most influential in its generative stages. The lichen is not only symbolic of life’s ability to thrive against inhospitable odds, staking their claim where no multicellular life has done before, but also a reminder of the need for cooperation and mutualism being the result of a symbiosis between algae and fungus.
The piece begins with a fully developed ecosystem, but one that is stagnant, decayed, and limiting the emergence of something new. As is the occasionally destructive nature of change, this decayed brush is burned away leaving an environment barren and devoid, save for small founder species, now free from their imprisonment. From there, these new voices build an ecosystem of their own, vibrant and teeming with life. However, much like their predecessors these organisms become too vast and expansive to sustain themselves, giving way for the cycle of rebirth to begin anew.
