Elements

The piece features the sound of people making large collages on the theme of the four elements: earth, air, fire, water. The collages were made by clients of four day care centres in Poole, Dorset, as part of a community arts project. These sounds are combined with field recordings made in the Poole area during early 2005, aiming to capture the sound of different elements. The piece also features poetry recited by Paula Brown, who composed these poems on the basis of a workshop in one of the Centres, and a walk along the beach involving both staff and clients of the centres.

One of the features of the composition is the sound environment of the centres themselves. I found them to be happy, even uplifting places; in some cases the walls were covered with wonderful artwork. This is an enormous tribute to the staff who work there. Many of the people attending the centres need continual care and attention, but many clearly gained a great deal from participating in the project, and the end results - the banners - were tremendous. Sometimes the process of thinking about or making the banners triggered old memories or stories, some of which are incorporated in the composition.

The sound of the centres - busy, sociable - makes an interesting contrast with the sounds outside. Many of the people attending the centres are no longer very mobile, and some get very little chance to visit places that they once knew well. Sometimes, such places now exist mostly in their memories. Hopefully these recordings will act as a reminder.

The piece is designed to be played as a loop, consistent with its use as a soundtrack to the exhibition that was held in a local church. The piece ends where it starts: with a recording of the seashore at precisely the same point on the beach at Sandbanks, but made at a different time of year; before and after the project. Time travel in sound.

All of the compositions and soundfiles accessible via this site are copyleft. All rights reversed. Anyone is welcome to use these soundfiles how they wish, towards a continuing creative process.