Sound Art. le abbaye Noirlac Recordings

The following is an excerpt of the final report on my ongoing work that was initiated whilst as Noirlac.

‘During my time at le abbey Noirlac I have noticed that both the abbey and the township of Bruere Allichamps exist and have existed in the past in their own pleasant individual worlds. The two are obviously connected (the abbey is actually within Bruere Allichamp's boundaries) and yet they remain as two very separate entities living peacefully side by side in comfortable silence.

When I then consider the life that the monks of the abbey use to live, it too was one of separation. In keeping with their Cistercian beliefs, they lived by a relentless regime that controlled their time and space. The monks were not allowed to leave the abbey's boundaries and despite their surroundings of dense wilderness - well worthy of an adventure - they remained within the abbey's confines each and every day and night.

I find it interesting using a medium such as sound to work with spaces that have been built to restrict and contain. Sound does not follow the same rules that bind the physical and the visual. It can travel through walls and around corners whilst being unseen. It can permeate a space in the most subtle way, leaving it visually unchanged yet sonically, there is the possibility of another world being present.

And so - on this thought, I have created a piece that consists of two installations that will portray the world as viewed from Noirlac. These installations entail bringing the 'Outside' within the walls of Noirlac and also the opposite - bringing the sounds of Noirlac (the 'In') to the 'Outside'.

The first installation will be the 'Outside In' (sounds of the outside such as bird calls, wind, markets etc) to be installed within the abbey, in the refectory. The second would be the "In Within' (sounds from within the abbey Noirlac) to be installed still within the abbey, but at it's cloister. I like the idea that inverting these sounds is creating a breathing space for each world within it's opposite other - allowing their presence to be felt where it has been forbidden in the past.‘

More details on the work process and experiences can be found on my blogg

Recording tech spec’s and the sounds themselves are available for you to listen to, comment on, download and use in your own work (with reference to myself) at the freesound website

These recordings and subsequent work is initiated as part of Punctum’s In-Habit International initiative. I would like to acknowledge Punctum, Arts Victoria and le abbaye Noirlac in their support that they provided for this research and cultural exchange,