Sound recordings selected for Shakespeare Off the Map 2016, a UK higher education videogame competition organised by the British Library and GameCity.

The winning entry for Shakespeare Off the Map 2016 was The Tempest by Team Quattro (De Montfort University): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lzpEFgpk3Y

Off The Map challenges budding designers to use collections from the British Library as inspiration to create exciting interactive digital media.

Shakespeare Off the Map

The world

Sound recordings selected for Off the Map Gothic 2014, a UK higher education videogame competition organised by the British Library and GameCity.

The winning entry for Off the Map Gothic 2014 was Nix by Gothulus Rift (University of South Wales): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ESieZO4VHw 

Off The Map challenges budding designers to use collections from the British Library as inspiration to create exciting interactive digital media.

Off the Map Gothic

Listen to a selection of natural soundscapes from the British Library and the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision.

Wild Places

PoCo 30 Series 1: Peace

Sound recordings selected for Alice's Adventures Off the Map 2015, a UK higher education videogame competition organised by the British Library and GameCity.

The winning entry for Alice's Adventures Off the Map 2015 was 'The Wondering Lands of Alice' by Off our Rockers (De Montfort University):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bwx4uUnbV4

Off The Map is an annual competition which challenges budding designers to use collection items from the British Library as inspiration to create exciting interactive digital media based on a particular theme. 

The theme for the 2015 Off the Map competition was Alice in Wonderland, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. This fantastical tale of a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a world populated by speaking animals and peculiar characters lends itself nicely to the gaming genre. Three  subthemes were selected - Oxford, Underground and Gardens - and curators from across the library chose items from their respective collections to help students concentrate their efforts. 

http://gamecity.org/off-the-map-2015


Alice's Adventures Off the Map 2015

British habitat recordings

This is a harmonic and very relaxing piece of ambient music mainly inspired by water and nature. It has minimalistic soothing piano and flute melodies. No drums.

A lot of feeling and thought was put into this song and I wanted the song to create a relaxing sensation triggering the listeners' imagination. Someone actually said she had her best sleep of her life using this as background music.

In 2002 this song was remixed by Andrew Rothman (http://archive.org/download/iuma-arothman/arothman_-_Sirene_Song_feat._ArchAngel.mp3) and used as background music in the lunar landing program at the Shafran Planetarium at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The track was originally made in September 1999 with Fast Tracker 2.

Sirene Song

A group of five Carrion Crows in the trees, before roosting, during a blustery force 6 wind. Recorded in winter at Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire by Richard Margoschis.

British Library reference: 1CD0091587 D2 BD9

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/forest-sky-winter-landscape-r%C3%BCgen-584354/

Woodland In Winter

Scottish woodland at dawn recorded by Richard Margoschis. A chorus of several Chaffinches and Wrens singing, a Blackbird and Rooks, Woodpigeons singing, loud Crows and wing whirring from a Pheasant, a distant cockerel and Jackdaws.

British Library reference: 1CD0091587 D1 BD8

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/bluebell-wood-flowers-springtime-905626/

Woodland In Late Spring

Thunder recorded in the Tanat Valley, Wales on 6th July 1989 by Eric and May Nobles.

British Library reference: 022A-WTHUNDERXXXX-0301M0.WAV


Thunder, Tanat Valley, Wales, July 1989

Babbling brook recorded in Kynance Cove, Cornwall on 1st March 1996 by Paul Duck.

British Library reference: W1CDR0000199 BD11

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/water-drop-rain-falling-pouring-275938/

Babbling Brook, Cornwall, England, March 1996

Light rainfall recorded in Amacayacu National Park, Colombia on 1st September 1988 by Richard Ranft.

British Library reference: W1CDR0000524 BD5

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/water-priroda-drops-rain-815271/


Light Rainfall, Colombia, September 1988

Morning in an old forest in Gloucestershire at springtime recorded by Richard Margoschis. The shrill notes of a Wren and nasal calls of a Nuthatch, gentle cooings of Woodpigeons, Robin song, a Pheasant crowing and bees humming. Rooks cawing, scolding notes of a Jay, a Blue Tit calling and singing, drumming from a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Also the songs and calls of a Blackbird, Cuckoo, Willow Warbler and Coal Tit.

British Library Reference: 1CD0091587 D1 BD3

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/tree-support-tree-moss-forest-log-505041/

Old Forest In Spring

Recreation of a Victorian factory. Steam engines, line shafting and belting taking power to tools, lathes, men hammering.

British Library reference: 1CD0126081 D2 BD33

Image reference: 'A Factory Interior', 1871 http://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3643389

Victorian Factory

Water dripping onto cave floor and into nearby pools. Recorded by Nigel Tucker at Cheddar Caves, Somerset on 16th December 1999.

British Library reference: W1CDR0001983 BD10

Recording provided courtesy of Nigel Tucker (recordist and copyright holder) under a CC-BY-NC license

Dripping Water Underground, Somerset, December 1999

Description
A coastal lagoon atmosphere recorded on Havergate Island, Suffolk.

Listen to this recording on the British Library Sounds website:
http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001402-1200V0

Duration
00:00:23

Shelf mark
W1CDR0001402 BD12

Subjects
Atmospheres

Recording date
1971/05/17

Recording locations
Havergate Island, Suffolk: OS Grid Reference(641500,247500)

Recordist
Shove, Lawrence

Coastal lagoon atmosphere (example 2), Suffolk, May 1971

Description
A coastal atmosphere featuring a colony of sea birds, recorded on Havergate Island, Suffolk.

Listen to this recording on the British Library Sounds website:
http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001402-1000V0

Duration
00:01:08

Shelf mark
W1CDR0001402 BD10

Subjects
Atmospheres

Recording date
1971/05/17

Recording locations
Havergate Island, Suffolk: OS Grid Reference(641500,247500)

Recordist
Shove, Lawrence

Coastal lagoon atmosphere (example 1), Suffolk, May 1971

A coastal lagoon atmosphere recorded on Havergate Island, Suffolk.

Shelf mark
W1CDR0001462 BD2

Subjects
Atmospheres

Recording date
1960s

Recording locations
Havergate Island, Suffolk: OS Grid Reference(641500,247500)

Recordist
Shove, Lawrence

Image reference: https://www.flickr.com/photos/katechka/34697671875 (Ekaterina Chernetsova)

Coastal lagoon atmosphere, Suffolk, England, 1960s

A recording of a coastal atmosphere made at Beesands in Devon.

Shelf mark
W1CDR0001427 BD13

Subjects
Atmospheres

Recording date
1961/11/09

Recording locations
Beesands, Devon: OS Grid Reference(281500,40500)

Recordist
Shove, Lawrence

Image reference: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shipcreak/3101522910 (Neil Barnwell)

Coastal atmosphere, Devon, England, November 1961

A cold and overcast Autumn afternoon on a Welsh heather moorland. A strong wind blows over the crags. Distant sheep, mewings from a Buzzard overhead and the calls of a Meadow Pipit and Raven can be heard. Recorded by Richard Margoschis.

British Library Reference: 1CD0091587 CD2 BD7

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/tree-heather-moorland-purple-blue-943247/

Mountain Moorland

Recording on a heathland with trees and bracken on a foggy, dark and very calm autumn evening. Fallow Deer are rutting: the pig-like grunts are from the bucks, the quiet bleats are the does. In the far distance, a Tawny Owl hoots.

British Library Reference: 1CD0091587 CD2 BD6

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/fallow-deer-herd-park-females-597550/


Ancient Chase

Rough sea with heavy surf on large sandy beach after storm, large breakers, close perspective. Recorded at Whitesand Bay, Cornwall on 28th February 1996 by Paul Duck.

British Library Reference: W1CDR0000199 BD4

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/clovelly-sydney-australia-ocean-286568/


Waves after the Storm, Cornwall, 1996

Typical midday sounds at La Selva Biological Reserve, Costa Rica. Loud cicadas dominate with a few persistent singers (Columba nigrirostris). Recorded on 15th March 1985 by Richard Ranft.

British Library Reference: W1CDR0001740 BD5

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/forest-rainforest-green-flora-214884/


Tropical Rainforest at Midday, Costa Rica, 1985

Dawn in a primary tropical rainforest at La Selva Biological Reserve, Costa Rica. Sounds heard include cicadas, Eleutherodactylus frogs and Columba nigrirostris. Recorded on 16th March 1985 by Richard Ranft.

British Library Reference: W1CDR0001740 BD10

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/jungle-forest-trees-green-nature-601542/


Tropical Rainforest at Dawn, Costa Rica, 1985

Afternoon sounds of the Amazon Rainforest recorded by Richard Ranft.

British Library Reference: 1CD0170969

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/en/rainforest-palm-trees-moss-78516/

Amazon Rainforest Atmosphere - Afternoon

Peace is an ambient by Sharp Hall, and is the sixth track from Vanishing Point. Sharp originally called the track a variation of "calm after the storm".

Peace

Ambient audio at Turkey Mtn

Title track. Music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzHdzEYseQM

Peace and Love

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest libraries. We hold over 13 million books, 920,000 journal and newspaper titles, 57 million patents and 6 million sound recordings. Open to everyone, the Library offers events, temporary exhibitions and a Treasures Gallery that displays over 200 items, including Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible and lyrics by The Beatles.