Soundwalk with The Bard of the Birds (2022)
‘Soundwalk with The Bard of the Birds’ invites the audience to experience their environment in a new way guided by poetry and music, through a self-directed unsupervised walk around their surroundings. The walk is guided by a soundtrack with instructions which guide the audience’s attention towards particular details in order to collect impressions, thoughts, colours, shapes, and objects from their walk. The experiences are then shared upon the audience’s return.
The instructions were developed through combining methods of hypnotherapy, with the aim to facilitate new experiences and perception. They are suitable for any location, distance and walking speed. The piece can also be experienced seated, with eyes closed, journeying in one’s own imagination.
The event can be attended in person or joined digitally via Zoom.
The Soundwalk was premiered at Sound Aberdeen, and then hosted by Book Week Scotland 2022. It was supported by Creative Scotland, Sound, An Lanntair and Book Week Scotland.
The project is a collaboration of composer Rūta Vitkauskaitė, poet-storyteller Dawn Wood, clarinettist Joanna Nicholson, violist Katherine Wren, composers Gemma McGregor and Emily Doolittle, and sound-engineer Chris Adams.
Duration: 60 minutes (short version), 120 minutes (long version)
Format: pre-walk instruction, self-guided sound-walk (any number of audience), post-walk tea/sharing session.
Performers: 1 (instructor – short version) or 4 (instructor, poet and two musicians – long version)