iamatease

The concept for iAmAtEase was formulated after becoming aware of the experiments conducted by Dr Donald Ewen Cameron in the mid 20th century. 

Cameron used a mixture of psychoactive and paralytic drugs on patients who exhibited various mental illnesses. He would induce these patients into comas that often lasted for weeks, under the pretence that this process would somehow reboot their conscious mind. 

This led to patients, who initially may have had only minor psychological conditions, to experience severe memory loss. The effects of this memory loss extended to patients forgetting their own identity and in some cases losing the ability to form basic sentences.

When a patient was comatose, Cameron would play loops of noise and repetitive phrases from tape cassette players placed under their pillow. 

All the subjects of these experiments experienced severe memory loss and almost none had any recollection of their time spent in the hospital whatsoever. The only thing that all the patients could remember from the horrific experience was one of the phrases that Cameron played under their pillows on repeat; I am at ease with myself. 

This phrase, recited once, is the sole source of sonic material in this composition.

Composed in 2017.