Cristina Spinei

Moved By An Interior Impulse

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moved by an interior impulse #23 - Forever Library (V2) | OpenSea

I’ve long been fascinated by Marian apparitions, especially Mary’s appearance to three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal. I borrowed this title from a quote from Venerable Sister Lúcia dos Santos. In 1917, Mary appeared to Lúcia and her two cousins once a month for six months. During the final appearance, 70,000 people gathered to witness a promised sign - the sun appeared to dance and fall to the earth. In Sister Lúcia’s description of the appearances, she refers to being “moved by an interior impulse” when explaining her call to pray. “Then, moved by an interior impulse, we fell on our knees, repeating in our hearts, ‘Most Holy Trinity I adore you. My God, my God, I love you in the most Blessed Sacrament.’ ” Recorded at The Duck in Nashville, TN Violin 1 - Alicia Enstrom Violin 2 - Annaliese Kowert Viola - Betsy Lamb Cello - Alex Krew Synthesizer/Composer - Cristina Spinei

Dopamine Machines

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Dopamine Machines #22 - Forever Library (V2) | OpenSea

Dopamine Machines depicts the battle between human willpower and our many daily distractions. I liken it to the classic depiction of the angel and devil on our shoulder. On one side we could choose focused intention, and on the other side is chaotic input. The musical equivalent of the angel, or focused attention, is the string quartet. It begins emphatically with a heavy, insistent rhythm. Wedged into its small pauses, the synthesizer interjects a sustained counterpoint. It’s the pull of distraction which becomes increasingly bold throughout the piece. Dopamine Machines plays with the idea of reclaiming our attention in a system that promotes its fragmentation.