Dusk to Dawn Chorus

All in all this overnight walk proved quite an experience, one which still resonates. At face value the notion of walking through the night is a simple one. But, as we moved from the dusk gloom through into the dark proper and out into the morning glow we also moved from our pasts and futures into the present. In part this was due to growing fatigue. In part it was due to the necessity for focus and concentration as we felt our way through the dark without the aid of torches. But from busy solar worlds we slipped gradually into the night, and to a quiet appreciation of both each others companty and the place through which we passed.

Dusk to Dawn Chorus

Saturday 28 May to Sunday 29 May 2011, Dartington Estate, Devon

For this Aune Head Arts event I'll be working with artist Elly Stevens to take people on an overnight journey to discover the sounds and voices of the night. The event will start with a sit to listen to the dusk chorus of bird song, identifying the many and varied voices that amplify the landscape with the setting sun. With the final song we will then embark on a slow walk round the estate; a combination of playful exploration, shared stories, and times for still quiet listening at different places. We will return to our starting point before dawn to celebrate the birds as they awaken and greet the day. As the sun rises, we’ll share a lovely breakfast!

This is part of a series of events called Flittermice and Hoots that focus on the natural world at dusk and dawn

More details and booking information here

Other Voices, 7-8 May

Like ourselves, birds are very vocal creatures. In spring their songs and calls are everywhere, enlivening our woods, hedges and fields. But what are they doing? Why are they singing? And who is singing?

These are just some of the questions we will be answering on this Wildwise overnight camp. We'll also take time to experience both the dawn chorus, one of the great natural wonders, and to learn how to identify a range of birds from their songs and calls. And everyone will have the opportunity to take time out to listen quietly to the sounds of the natural world, a simple yet often surprisingly powerful experience.

Times – 4pm Saturday – 11am Sunday

Full details here

Plymouth Tracks II

Yesterday evening Simon Persighetti and myself took 21 keen sound adventurers on a tour of Plymouth's real and imagined musical history. This was our contribution to the Second International Research Forum on Guided Tours and was a repeat of the walk we did for the Ambulation show last autumn.

High View School Project

The majority of sounds and conversations are now online and available via Radio Aporee. Simply click on one of the red dots to listen. As mentioned previously this builds on work last years work with Efford Take a Part. I will also be working with the community in June to help support local people to devise and deliver their own tours of the estate as part of a retrospective of arts projects carried out over the past couple of years.

High View School Project

The recordings of the children at High View talking about their school are now complete, and I'm now working on indexing and editing them ready for uploading to Radio Aporee. The children were great and very talkative, so I have 2hrs of audio to drawn from!

There's a piece in the Plymouth Herald about the project here.

Many thanks to Gem Ward for her time and help in school.

High View School Project

I start today on a short project to document the sounds and voices of High View School in Efford, Plymouth. This builds on work last year with Efford Take a Part. The sounds will be uploaded to Radio Aporee.