From floating in a pond in Vermont to slipping between space and the sky, five audio-makers offer a series of Radio 3's innovative Between the Ears features in miniature inspired by the elements.

Our first edition takes water as its starting point. Erica Heilman is the maker of the independent podcast Rumble Strip, which she produces in her closet in East Calais, Vermont.

A Pond of No Consequence is two old friends, floating on a third-rate roadside pond in northern Vermont, comparing notes on tiny lilypad people and ageing parents and the sweetness of short summers and everyday life.

First broadcast 30th September 2024, BBC Radio 3
Produced by Erica Heilman

Between the Ears: Miniatures: A Pond of No Consequence 1/5

We make documentaries and audio art for radio, podcasts and public spaces.

At the heart of what we do is a belief in the imaginative possibilities of radio. Sounds that can reconfigure the world around you, move you through inner landscapes, sink into your dreams.

We are an intentionally small company that considers carefully the creative, social and political aspects of the work we put out into the world.

Falling Tree has two full-time Directors – Eleanor McDowall and Alan Hall – and we work with freelancers across our projects, including the core Short Cuts production team of Alia Cassam, Axel Kacoutié and Andrea Rangecroft.

We are one of the founding signatories of the Equality in Audio pact. 

You can listen to hundreds of our documentaries in the free, online Falling Tree archive.

Between the Ears: Miniatures: A Pond of No Consequence 1/5

Falling Tree Productions