SOUNDWALK FOR TEN ACRES OF SOUND - 25/09/20 - 11/10/20
Sound Artist Nikki Sheth has created a soundwalk of Stirchley for the Ten Acres of Sound Festival. The walk encourages a deeper connection with the natural environment and a new awareness of the hidden sounds around us – both natural and man-made.
Exploring the area of Stirchley, Nikki has created a sound map of interesting listening points in the local area. These points have been recorded and the field recordings produced draw upon a range of sources – the hidden sounds of underwater currents, recordings of bats hunting above the River Rea, the secret world of Birmingham Brew before opening hours. As the walk progresses, the field recordings develop into smaller musical compositions that have been inspired by the mechanical and electromagnetic recorded sounds, progressing from a natural to an abstracted and imaginative sound world.
The Stirchley soundwalk creates a 60-minute self-guided journey of immersive audio experiences which can be experienced using a smartphone. The free SOUNDwalker app uses GPS to guide the walker to different locations and, on arrival, triggers audio tracks which provide site specific responses to the immediate environment.
As you listen to the soundwalk click on the listening points once to see the name of the location and click on the name to read more about the sounds you are hearing.
The soundwalk will launch during the Ten Acres of Sound Festival and will be freely available on the SOUNDwalker app for the public to enjoy at their leisure.
It is advised to download the soundwalk in advance to ensure the best quality and to avoid signal issues when streaming in real time.
This event is in association with Artefact Projects, Ten Acres of Sound and Birmingham based collective SOUNDkitchen.
Pick up flyers for Ten Acres of Sound and the Stirchley Soundwalk from Artefact, Stirchley
TO JOIN THE SOUNDWALK DOWNLOAD THE SOUNDWALKER APP HERE AND CLICK ON THE STIRCHLEY SOUNDWALK:
Listening Points
Artefact / River Rea 1
As you walk towards the River Rea, escape from the noise of the traffic on Pershore Road and tune in to the calming ambient sounds of the river getting louder as you get closer to the water.
River Rea 2
The use of hydrophones (underwater microphones) allows us to listen to the activity happening in a body of water. Hear the hidden sounds of the River Rea, with water rushing past the small pebbles and the river ebbing and flowing as it continues its journey past us.
Birmingham Brewing Co.
Have you ever wondered what the brewery sounds like when they are preparing locally brewed beers? Listen to Birmingham Brewing Company doing just that.
Hazelwell Park Bridge Bats
The sound of bats is usually inaudible to the human ear – listen to the hidden sound of a bat hunting for its dinner above the River Rea on a summer’s evening. If you visit this location at dusk you may even catch a glimpse of the bat!
Mesh Tree Guard / Pylon
Using a contact microphone, we can hear the vibrating resonant frequencies of the tree branches against the wire mesh surrounding them and then looking further into the distance, the sound of the electrical pylons seen on the skyline.
River Rea 3 / Orchard
Returning to the natural world once again, hear the sounds of a dawn chorus in Stirchley from three different recording points along the footpath.
Fordhouse Lane
In 2019, Michael Lightbourne led a workshop where we used coil microphones to hear normally inaudible electromagnetic sounds e.g. cash machines, alarms, traffic going past. Listen to a piece created using these recordings as we walk back to the high street.
Birmingham Bike Foundry
A short composition created using recordings from Birmingham Bike Foundry and close-up mechanical bike sounds reminding us of Stirchley’s industrial past.
If you can't get to Stirchley for the festival listen to the sounds here:
With thanks to John Lucy.
Feedback from the walk:
"It made me think about how senses (especially sight and sound) interconnect. Also, how much human senses miss - high frequencies, electromagnetic radiation etc, or just because I fail to notice them." - Stirchley Soundwalk Participant 2020
"The narratives really worked, and using a variety of natural, man-made machinery and an experimental soundtrack helped it immensely. Most enjoyable. Mindful listening is always good so the times spent focusing on the activity were really welcome - particularly with the sound of the bats eating their food. I find what you are doing really fascinating." - Stirchley Soundwalk Participant 2020
Field recordings from the Stirchley Soundwalk were used in the TRIPTYCHS Performance for Ten Acres of Sound
The walk is also listed on WALK.LISTEN.CREATE and Walkspace