Bentham Inheritage Trail 2124

Welcome to the Bentham audio in-heritage trail 2124, a story from the future created by young musicians at Pioneer Arts, alongside tutors Jack McNeill and Sophie Cooper.

Over a series of creative sessions, participants made field recordings along parts of the Bentham Heritage Trail. Using hydrophones (water microphones), hand-held recorders and hand-drawn notes to document and map the sounds they encountered. Exploring elements of Soundscape Ecology to compose bird choruses with percussion instruments, the participants learnt about the layers of sound in our everyday soundscapes. Then back in the Pioneer workshop they learnt how to edit and manipulate these sounds, combining them with live instruments, electronic MIDI controllers, audio effects, erasure poetry and spoken word. A story emerged within the group imagining a cautionary tale about extra-terrestrial visitors, and machine-engineered creatures brought back from the brink of extinction.

This story unfolds along the Bentham Heritage Trail, just seek out the six QR code locations along the route (there’s also a map available). Then take your time listening to the short audio chapters and let your imagination wander in this environment of the past, present and future…