In 2019 I was invited to join the board of Recast Music Education as non-executive director. Alongside supporting the future planning of the organisation and its activities I have contributed to a number of creative projects focused on listening to natural environments for improved wellbeing and greater engagement in nature. Projects have included:
A celebration of the swift.
I produced an event in lockdown to celebrate the end of the migration period of the iconic swift. Using recordings I made of swifts during the summer 2019 I created an improvised performance using their calls as amplitude gates to trigger software instruments and through processing their calls in Max.
This is accompanied by a specially recorded interview with naturalist and Norfolk resident, Mark Cocker, where he discusses why the swift is one of his favourite species. A backdrop to these performances is provided by the HomeSounds live-stream microphone at RSPB Titchwell Marsh.
I produced an event in lockdown to celebrate the end of the migration period of the iconic swift. Using recordings I made of swifts during the summer 2019 I created an improvised performance using their calls as amplitude gates to trigger software instruments and through processing their calls in Max.
This is accompanied by a specially recorded interview with naturalist and Norfolk resident, Mark Cocker, where he discusses why the swift is one of his favourite species. A backdrop to these performances is provided by the HomeSounds live-stream microphone at RSPB Titchwell Marsh.
Feldermaus and Natbakka.
'These long-form compositions were built around two recordings of pipistrelle bats captured by the HomeSounds project.
The raw recordings were processed in a series of patches designed to modulate the sound in a number of ways, focusing on small changes in dynamic and tonal variety. Additional synthesised instruments were added on Fledermaus and Sunset.
These tracks were created for a live-stream sound-walk, produced by HomeSounds, for the 2020 North Norfolk Dark Skies Festival. They were accurately mixed with live environmental sound, captured and broadcast by a live-streaming microphone installed by HomeSounds at Sheringham Park, for an extended period of time.
To reflect the intention of the listening context the music has been mixed with field recordings made by Oliver. Fledermaus with Sunset features a recording documenting the edge of a woodland at sunset in Dunwich. Natbakka and Rooks features recordings of an early winter roosting of rooks at Buckenham marshes.
The original live-stream sound-walk can be taken again below.'
'These long-form compositions were built around two recordings of pipistrelle bats captured by the HomeSounds project.
The raw recordings were processed in a series of patches designed to modulate the sound in a number of ways, focusing on small changes in dynamic and tonal variety. Additional synthesised instruments were added on Fledermaus and Sunset.
These tracks were created for a live-stream sound-walk, produced by HomeSounds, for the 2020 North Norfolk Dark Skies Festival. They were accurately mixed with live environmental sound, captured and broadcast by a live-streaming microphone installed by HomeSounds at Sheringham Park, for an extended period of time.
To reflect the intention of the listening context the music has been mixed with field recordings made by Oliver. Fledermaus with Sunset features a recording documenting the edge of a woodland at sunset in Dunwich. Natbakka and Rooks features recordings of an early winter roosting of rooks at Buckenham marshes.
The original live-stream sound-walk can be taken again below.'