Julia E. Howell possesses a veritable treasure trove of tape recordings documenting noteworthy musical events – for example, traditional fiddle concerts by members of her family, Mardi Gras processions in New Orleans, and even songs from her childhood.

These memories on tape are what led her to the idea of Artefacts, in which she comes to terms with the process of recollection and dealing with what one has experienced. Through the use of overlaying, repetition in endless loops and reinterpretation of assorted motifs, Howell forms short melodic sequences, rhythmic patterns and particular moods gleaned from her archive into a work consisting of three movements. In the first movement, she awakens memories of baby songbirds that learn by imitating the patterns of their parents. 

In the second movement, she recreates the sounds of the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras in all its splendor, musical parades and voodoo drumming. 

The final movement is a fragile construction consisting of brief patterns and tonal fragments that, no sooner have they resounded, vanish into nothingness, are confusedly dispelled and nevertheless reemerge in modified form.