Ensemble Ériu — Imbas

Ensemble Ériu’s Imbas CD packaging features a navy outer sleeve containing a grey inner sleeve. Each sleeve has an aperture revealing the CD face within.

Each piece features a unique variation of a basic symbol. The symbols are formed from two concentric rings and a series of straight lines. The concentric rings act as a structural basis upon which the more spontaneous lines are placed. I imposed a handful of arbitrary rules (which I broke) on how lines could be placed — they could be at 45°, they could tangent off the inner circle, or they could arrive at a cardinal point of either circle. This allowed variation while keeping the overall appearance similar. The vinyl and CD packaging demanded different relative scales between the inner and outer circles, thus the cover is different on each.

Using variation in this way was an attempt to emulate the music of Ensemble Ériu, in which traditional Irish music is used as a basis upon which elaborations are made in texture, melody, etc.; and traditional music’s conventions are respected yet also broken.