Expanse & Retrospect by Caleb Pickering

For vibraphone and tape; Expanse & Retrospect was commissioned by Taylor Burks. The work is separated into four sections played attacca: space, mind, history, and humanity. The work explores the topic of existentialism and human attempts to understand “why” we’re here, and “what” matters. The tape uses interstellar audio from each planet and the sun, interviews with users of LSD, major news reports from the 20th and 21st centuries, and individual monologues regarding humanity and morality.