Starting at 'The Crow's Nest', allow three generations of a local family to guide you through the woods and open green spaces of Heeley People's Park. Albert will share its past; a housing estate with neighbouring woodlands, streams and infrastructure. Andy will describe how his community Trust found it, and the process of its development into the park you see around you. Ollie will highlight its importance to his and future generations.
Field recordings captured in and around the park have been layered to reflect the dialogue, and processed to create an immersive experience which fluctuates between naturalistic and musical. In order to make the most of these unique interviews, you are encouraged to remain in each zone until the dialogue is finished. However, there is no set path and any route you choose will be soundtracked according to your unique location. The longer you stay in a zone up until approximately 5 minutes, the more the compositions will develop. Some locations within the zones offer their own unique sonic additions to the soundscape which will gain clarity as you approach their source.
This unique dissemination of information and experience is intended to reflect the unique and turbulent history of the landscape, and the sensory experience of those within it. Over time, this experience has changed with the shift from dereliction to greenery, from trains to cars, and from community, to consternation and (hopefully) back again. 'Heeley People's Park: An Aural History' offers site-specific discourse on these changes, but as you immerse yourself in this augmented reality, be wary of the intersecting roads that disrupt the peaceful verdancy of the park and host hundreds of cars each day.
