THREE EXAMPLES OF PREVIOUS WORK BY KATHY HINDE

FLOCK (2023) is a 30 minute composition for young children inspired by birdsong for flute, cello, percussion and invented instruments with audience participation. Devised through experimental workshops with children at Oakwood Primary school, Glasgow.

“…clearly hit its mark with toddlers and older kids enraptured by Hinde’s fascinating musical contraptions … FLOCK packed in charm, delight and a nicely developing exploration of birdsong and flight”.   The Scotsman

RIVER ECHOES (2021) is a collective investigation into Bristol’s waterways centred around a series of participatory, open access, listening walks with invited speakers including ecologists, historians and poets. Sounds from the listening walks inspired a live performance by a flotilla of musicians surrounded by a 16 channel sound installation; culminating with a large scale film projection onto the banks of the river Avon, drawing attention to its huge tidal range and the histories of two re-directed rivers.

FOR THE BIRDS (2014-2019) invites the public on an immersive night time walk into a wild, avian landscape. A meditative and immersive journey through a woodland transformed by a series of bespoke, subtle and sensitive light and sound installations.

“Mind-blowingly brilliant. An unforgettably beautiful and resonant experience” George Monbiot

“I cannot think of another art experience that has bettered it” Jay Griffiths, author

OUTLINE FOR ‘LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE FEN’

LISTENING FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Creating opportunities to listen to usually inaudible underwater sounds from the Roger Clarke Hide pond, and making this accessible to as many people as possible through :

• Regular participatory listening walks on wireless headphones at Wicken Fen guided by lead artist Kathy Hinde, Wicken Fen staff and volunteers, with bespoke and accessible versions created for specific groups.
• Listening ‘stations’ at various locations such as the pond with a member of Wicken Fen staff or volunteer present to engage passers by.
• Online live streaming underwater sounds direct from Wicken Fen.
• Podcasts created from listening walks.
• Slow radio broadcasts with soundscapes from all around the fen. Targeted broadcasts to audio streams aimed at people with low vision and partial sight as advised and guided by participating community group Camsight.
• Workshops engaging people with listening from new perspectives such as DIY hydrophone making, devising ‘listening enhancing’ instruments, learning recording techniques and creating listening walks for others to follow.

This idea is transferrable to underground sounds, sounds inside trees and other methods to listen from new perspectives all around Wicken Fen. Please listen to the underwater sound example below.

INSTALLATIONS / PERFORMANCES

• Installations powered by solar energy playing soundscapes pre-recorded and live showcasing the hidden sounds of the fen on sculptural speakers.
• Aeolian harp installations, instruments naturally activated by the wind, including smaller versions created in workshops throughout the project.
• Sculptural sound installations created using reeds gathered at the site, automated flutes made from locally sourced wood and bird imitation devices made from clay.
• Many temporary sound installations running throughout summer 2025 including aeolian instruments activated by the wind, kinetic bird-imitation sculptures, and water-activated sound sculptures.
• Instruments created in workshops will form the basis of a devised collective live performance at the launch of the event in 2025.

Please listen to the short sound sample of an aeolian harp playing at Wicken Fen below

DIGITAL EXPERIENCES

• Online digital experiences with interactive instruments where users can shape various parameters of a virtual aeolian instrument by specifying (for example) size, materials, and string length. Their instrument will then be sonified by wind-speed data sent live from an installation at Wicken Fen.
• A crowd-sourced selection of underwater sounds gathered during workshops and listening walks throughout the project and beyond, fed into an interactive instrument connected to ‘water level’ data from Wicken Fen. Users select an underwater sound to interact with a specific ‘dip-well’ at Wicken Fen, and an audio filter to transform the sound in relation to water levels. An interactive digital instrument that draws attention to underwater sounds of the site and how water level maintenance is crucial for the biodiversity and unique habitat of the fen.
• Interactive online sound maps for participants to contribute to during the project and beyond.
• Workshops making DIY hydrophones (underwater microphones) will enable more people to contribute to the soundmaps and collection of underwater sounds.