SOUNDwalk: Stirchley
Duration: 60 minutes
Commissioned by Ten Acres of Sound
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 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 again to read more about the sounds you are hearing.
It is advised to download the soundwalk in advance to ensure the best quality and to avoid signal issues when streaming in real time.
The soundwalk will launch during the Ten Acres of Sound Festival on the 25th September and will be freely available on the SOUNDwalker app for the public to enjoy at their leisure.
The Stirchley Soundwalk was commissioned by Ten Acres of Sound Festival – running from the 25th September to 11thOctober 2020.
