carry it (water) by Connie Li is an exploration and celebration of the sounds we encounter in the community on a calm day in Baltimore, Maryland. Inspired by her own personal experience working odd jobs such as dyeing fabric and participating in Baltimore's unique club scene, Connie Li crafts a unique yet familiar soundscape utilizing radio static, electric fans, the sloshing of water as fabric is dyed, and the clinks of mugs as they are set for a much-earned tea break while the kettle gently boils.
The themes of this piece are community, work, the resultant sounds from tasks, and ambiance of the urban environment. The structure of the piece begins with radio static; an electric fan is added; the sloshing of cloth and gentle indeterminate knocking of the dye paddles on the edges of the buckets emerge. Flowerpots and bottles clink. Leaves and twigs find their way into the fan as the cloths are wrung out to be dried. The kettle begins to boil. Each player makes their way to a central table, enjoying a quiet moment of tea together before a Baltimore club-style groove emerges from the clinking and stirring of spoons in coffee mugs. None of the sounds in this work are made on traditional instruments or with traditional technique, but the variety of color this collection of objects creates is as deep as traditional instruments.

carry it (water) is 9 minutes in duration and was commissioned by Matchstick Percussion as part of their Strike Anywhere Project, with assistance from Penn State University through the Research and Creative Activity Grant Program in Racial Justice, Anti-Discrimination, and Democratic Practices Award.