Orasaigh

room 5 ECHOES

Orasaigh is a geolocative acousmatic soundwalk composition that was developed in 2023 as part of the exhibition 'Orasaigh', a collaboration between poet Steve Ely, photographer Michael Faint, and composer Duncan MacLeod. Commissioned by Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre, the project draws upon the landscape around the tidal island of Orasaigh, located on the coast of South Uist at Boisdale.

Ely’s visionary poem, whilst always remaining anchored in the island, roams widely, exploring a range of themes related to Uist and the wider world – sea level rise, the crisis of the ‘sixth extinction’, history, culture, politics, conflict and class. Faint and MacLeod vividly capture the spirit of the place through their respective mediums, creating an independent yet complementary subjectivity.

As with Ely’s poem, the soundwalk is rooted in the landscape through the presence of soundscape compositions, utilising immersive field recordings captured on location. Elsewhere, material for bass clarinet and highland bagpipes, along with creative reimagining of archival sound recordings from Uist, draws upon the Isles' rich musical heritage through Gaelic song and pibroch (an art music genre associated with the great Highland Bagpipe).

The work of the three artists combines and interacts to produce a uniquely evocative response to a rich and resonant landscape that affirms the vitality and resilience of the human spirit. The island itself becomes a dual symbol of precarity and hope in the crisis of the Anthropocene.

Poem: Steve Ely
Narration: Steve Ely
Music & Soundscape compositions: Duncan MacLeod
Bass Clarinet: Charlotte Jolly
Environmental field recordings: Juraj Fajnor & Duncan MacLeod
Commissioned by Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, with funds from the Arts and Humanities Research Council


DOWNLOAD OUR APP TO DISCOVER THIS TOUR AND MANY OTHERS.

play-storeapp-store

The Echoes


Section 1: The Machair & Beach

Orasaigh I From the midsummer height of Càireasbhal, looking west over causewayed Dùn na Cil…

Section 2: Across the causeway

Orasaigh III Low tide. I pick my way between wrack-matted boulders and banks of rotting kelp t…

Section 3: The Island loop

Section 4: Return across the causeway

Section 5: Return back to the burial ground

The Burial Ground

Discover more geolocated content in our apps.

play-storeapple-app-store


Or start creating tours, treasure hunts, POI maps... Just let your imagination guide you.

SIGN UP

Are you a creator?

START HERE

Privacy & cookie policy / Terms and conditions

© ECHOES. All rights reserved / ECHOES.XYZ Limited is a company registered in England and Wales, Registered office at Merston Common Cottage, Merston, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1BE

v2.4.4 © ECHOES. All rights reserved.