Peter Van Riper has been an artist/musician right from the start, making "Sound and Light" environments in the 60s. Peter was a pioneer in bringing laser technology to the art world and received recognition as the first exhibitor of laser art and holography. Attention to space and attention to perception are the focuses of his musical works, particuarly in terms of waves and movement. Percussive hearing sounds in the Duchamp/Cage tradition pervade his music. Van Riper's music moves from western notation toward the sounds of World Music and nature. He derives inspiration for his acoustic music from the non-western traditions of Indonesia and Japan. Following graduate work at Tokyo University, he toured Japan with performances and exhibitions. He has worked extensively with dancer Simone Forti, visual artist Eugènia Balcells, and performance artist Sha Sha Higby. He has produced music for Seven Days in Space, a 90' video of NASA space exploration and has performed in Holland, Spain, Canada, and New York City.
Music with sound listened to closely, so as to include both things played and things resounding. Sounds heard with responsive attention so as to increase one's awareness of being in a place at a time. The music involves hearing sounds, which are natural sounds paid attention to, and spirit sounds, which are human-made arrangements of sound.
Alternates new metal music with cuts of concrete "double hearing sounds." These are music played on a variety of objects such as pine cones, shells, Indian corn, armadillo shells, sticks, keys, and camel bones. Each object produces double sounds to be sorted out by the listeners. Each side ends with music on aluminum rings. The material draws inspiration from the non-western traditions of Indonesia and Japan.