The Waves: Queens

Applied Stories / Erinn Dhesi (UK 2022)

21 min Episode 5 of 5

Waves is five audio fiction productions exploring the contemporary impact of Britain’s colonial past.

A statue of Queen Victoria in Leamington Spa’s town centre becomes much more than an old monument, with dramatic and outrageous results.

Written by Erinn Dhesi
Directed by Gitika Buttoo
Starring : Vimal Korpal, Bharti Patel, Dilan Raithatha, Ravneet Sehra Elexi Walker

Made by Holy Mountain in association with Tamasha Theatre Company and supported by the Audio Content Fund for Applied Stories

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Voicing The Archive

Hannah Kemp-Welch (UK 2021)

sound art hannah · Voicing the Archive

29 min

During the pandemic, artist Hannah Kemp-Welch was in-residence at the Women’s Art Library, based at Goldsmiths. Reaching out to community groups in New Cross, Hannah photocopied and collated packs of ephemera from artists' projects documented in the library and posted these to local residents. Seven women selected an artist from the archive and responded to their work, recording personal reflections as they looked through materials. This audio essay considers access to archives, and how voices can bring the Women’s Art Library to life.

Produced by Hannah Kemp-Welch

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Doing Bird

Steve Urquhart (UK 2022)

listentosteve · Doing Bird mixtape - Side A

20min Episode 1 of 2

Inmates at HMP Perth engage with archive birdsong and oral history recordings from the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club in a unique, creative audio art collaboration. Peesweeps meet hip hop beats, grouse unlock coded prison language, and an unhatched kestrel chick provokes philosophy.

Engaging with Scotland's archive birdsong recordings encourages the men to recall positive memories, to spark creativity, to reflect on the purpose of prison, and to re-evaluate their connection to the world beyond prison walls. They also think deeply about the accessibility and value of oral history recordings, and about who gets to be involved.

Produced by Steve Urquhart

‘Doing Bird’ is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

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Conversations Over a Brew: Andy and Scarlett on The Book of St Helens

Heart Of Glass (UK 2021)

26min Episode 1 of 6

An insightful chat (recorded over a brew) between artist Andy Field and Scarlett, a school girl from St Helens. The pair reflect on working together and wonder if children have super powers for imagining the future.
The focus is on children's perspectives, and the power and possibility they hold for reimagining the world around us. To explore these themes, we hear from artist Andy Field and Scarlett, a primary school pupil from St Helens. Andy, and his partner Beckie Darlington, make work that starts conversations between children and adults. Over this past year Andy and Beckie have worked with 146 children from across St Helens to create a guidebook about the town from the perspectives of its young people. Simply titled, The Book Of St Helens, this guidebook takes you on a unique journey through the town, highlighting the area's magical possibilities. Scarlett was one of the children who worked with Andy and Beckie to make The Book Of St Helens.

Produced by Heart of Glass

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Changing Tracks: Abbey Wood

Lucia Scazzocchio (UK 2019)

Social Broadcasts · Changing Tracks: Abbey Wood

18 min

Here comes the Elizabeth Line, finally. This won’t mean much to anyone outside London, but for many Londoners this has been a long time coming and for some places this means big changes as they join the London Transport map.

Originally commissioned by London Transport Museum to explore the life, community and sense of place around 2 areas soon to be drastically changed by the arrival of Cross Rail or the Elizabeth Line. This is a moment in time captured through voices of people who live and work in Thamesmead and Abbey Wood in South East London around what will soon become a destination station: Abbey Wood.

Recorded and produced by: Lucia Scazzocchio at Social Broadcasts

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Time and Tide Museum : Migration, Heritage and Belonging

Oliver Payne at Eastern Ear (UK 2021)

Time and Tide Museum · Migration, Heritage and Belonging podcast

29 min Episode 2 of 6

Podcast featuring Dr Sarah Lowndes of Time and Tide Museum in Great Yarmouth, interviewing members of the town's migrant communities. The podcast features excerpts from interviews with 30 people from first, second and third generation migrant communities in Great Yarmouth including people from China, Cyprus, East Timor, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Madeira, Mozambique, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Russia, all of whom have made Great Yarmouth their home.

Produced by Oliver Payne from Eastern Ear

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Here is Where We Meet : Sunday Life At The Lake

Produced by Joel Wanek (US 2022)

50 min

Here is Where We Meet is a sonic celebration of Lake Merritt, a long-form documentary radio project broadcast on KGPC 96.9FM in Oakland. Each episode weaves together field recordings and interviews conducted around the Lake. HWWM explores the unique diversity and biodiversity found around Lake Merrit, the myriad ways that everyday Oaklanders engage with it and with each other, and ultimately affirms that even in this time of rapid gentrification and change, Lake Merritt and Oakland are a place for everyone.

Lake Merritt is Oakland's central social space. It is where you see the beautiful, singular diversity of the city interacting and commingling. On Sundays, this is on full display: bbqs, salsa dancing, drumming, and endless people strolling around. This episode is soundwalk around the Lake on a busy, warm Sunday, taking in the variety of sounds and speaking to people along the way.

Producer: Joel Wanek
Broadcast on KGPC 96.9FM

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The Process: What Is Financial Astrology?

Alanna Chance / Somerset House (UK 2022)

29 min Episode 2 of 6

We’re used to experiencing the work of an artist in its final form – in the gallery, on the stage, or mixed on an album. But what has been the journey to get there? Somerset Housemersethouse.org.uk/ is home to a community of over 70 artists and makers.

This series goes behind the scenes of the process that some of these artists go through to get to the finished work.

Gary Zhexi Zhang is an artist interested in exploring the chimeric edges of global systems. Recently his research has taken him into the world of finance, where he’s been drawn to the sorts of speculative ways of thinking we might normally associate with the occult. Enter Financial Astrology, a way of forecasting the markets based on the positions of the cosmos. In this episode of The Process, Gary goes down the rabbit hole to try to understand this field and grasp why cryptocurrency in particular is so obsessed with the stars. He hears about some seismic events on the horizon from Christeen Skinner, a financial astrologist who has been working in the City of London for over 20 years and talks to social anthropologist and former equity fund manager, Philip Grant about how ideas of magic and finance overlap.

Produced by Alannah Chance

Produced as part of the Creators-in-Residence Programme 2021
Supported by The Rothschild Foundation

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Edgeland

Hayley Suviste (UK 2020)

Hayley Suviste · Edgeland

24 min

As Manchester’s streets and skyline are warped by the ever-accelerating process of urban renewal, the city’s edgelands and green spaces are at risk of being swallowed by waves of property development. Not only does this raise questions about the ecology of the city, as carbon sinks are flattened and wildlife is displaced, but it speaks to broader trends pushing urban residents away from shared space, community and local identity.

This project shines a light on these spaces and the activists, academics, and local people who have taken up the daunting fight against corporate interests in the city in the name of biodiversity, urban ecology and community wellbeing. As we are faced with crises of both environment and mental health, the role of public green spaces has become ever more crucial in the eyes of those who enjoy, nurture, and maintain them

Hayley Suviste is a sound artist and composer based in Manchester (UK). She works with field recordings, archival material, electronic hardware, and live instrumentation to create long-form compositions, sonic installations, and multimedia art projects. Inspired by folk traditions and oral histories, Hayley is interested in the role of sound and voice in constructing and reproducing cultural identities and socio-historical narratives and how new compositional technologies can engage communities with overlooked stories about their environments.

Produced by Hayley Suviste
Commsioned by HCMF

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High Street Tales - A Reading of London Street

Aundre Goddard and Richard Bentley (UK 2021)

Historic England · A Reading of London Street | By Aundre Goddard and Richard Bentley | Reading

32 min

Ok this is technically a location based sound walk of London Street in Reading but it’s an engaging listen even at a distance. (Some of the historical dramatised parts are a little wooden but entertaining none-the-less)

Artists Aundre Goddard and Richard Bentley’s sound walk ‘A Reading of London Street’ tells the story of the community at the heart of London Street bringing London Street’s history to life and capturing its unique identity.

This is part of High Street Sound Walks, a series of self-guided, immersive sound walks to help people discover the magic of their local high streets for Heritage Open Days.

Produced by Aundre Goddard and Richard Bentley for High Street Sound Walks a commission by Historic England, National Trust and Heritage Open Days with support from the players of People’s Postcode Lottery and produced by Sound UK.

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