Hi-Vis (2021)
(for orchestra)

Hi-Vis is inspired by night roadworks. For the majority of 2020 (and beyond!), major roadworks took place outside my Western Sydney home from 9pm to 4am each night:  flickering lights, continuous drilling, humming, reversing, beeping, and grinding. Yet, amid lockdown times, I found the rhythms of machinery strangely comforting and exciting, and a gentle reminder of the existence of other people!

Hi-Vis is a musical re-imagining of these sights and sounds, but also a celebration of all things hi-vis, musical and otherwise. Think fluorescent, luminescent and neon colours, LED traffic batons, and, of course, workers in hi-vis vests. I began to imagine what road workers might be listening to, and how the contrast between the strobing lights and dark sky conjured up an almost nightclub-like environment. The piece loosely draws on ‘hi-vis’ elements of electronic dance music, brass fanfares, boot-scooting, and disco, all filtered through the constant on-and-off of earmuffs. 

Holly Harrison