'Recovering Ground' is a poem by the writer Leonie Charlton, written in for a collaborative exhibition with the sculptor Lucy Gray. 

Read by Joanna Tope

Music by Breagha Charlton

Image of 'Snare' by Lucy Gray. 

Photography by Alex Ramsey.

Words and music copyright of Leonie Charlton and Breagha Charlton

Recovering Ground by Leonie Charlton

This lament was written for The Keeper of the Soils (Artist: Natalie Taylor) event at John Muir Country Park in February 2022, organised by North Lights Arts in Dunbar. We stood amidst the devastation that resulted from Storm Arwen blowing down so many of the trees in November 2021. Based on an ancient Catholic tradition where half the mourners stood at the deceased person's head, and half at their feet, while the priest stood in the middle and declaimed, I invited my fellow walkers to do the same beside a fallen giant. I suggested that we pick up a broken branch and an open pine cone to use at the apposite parts of the poem. Everyone says the first line of each stanza, 'Hail! Scots Pine' and repeats the final line once more after I say it. This is a solo recording, so doesn't have the effect that we created together on 13 March 2022. There is more information on my blog, including details of the quotes used. https://walkingwithoutadonkey.com/2022/03/15/lament-for-the-scots-pine/ c.TamsinGrainger 2022

Lament For The Scots Pine

A sound walk along the wall on top of the Western Breakwater at Granton Harbour in Edinburgh, Scotland
There is also an installation you can see to get the whole experience in person.
Shortlisted for a Sound Walk September Award 2022 by walklistencreate.com
Please note that there are ambient sounds of walking and of the area before the spoken part begins.
Audio recorded in situ and mixed by the author.

The Wall

Final artwalk following the Democratic Army route and theatre of war of 1948/49 along three borders

Grammos v

This is a work shaped out of binaural recordings (please listen with closed headphones to hear the immersive sound) made by me during a 3-week hike through the landscape of Aragon (Spain) starting from Pont de Suert to Sant Esteve de la Sarga. A group of artists walked all through the pre-Pyrenees, performing in villages and visiting other local artists.

The cultural association Nau Côclea from the village Camallera in Catalonia organized the route that took place during the month of august of 2023 and covered a total of 300 km of walking.

El Grand Tour 2023

Vanessa Pettendorfer, tenor saxophone

https://m.soundcloud.com/vanmagi

Malady of Knots, piano

Vanessa Pettendorfer & Malady of Knots - Ode to a Goddess

A walkshop invitation for those attending the Australian Walking Artists gathering in the Otways, or for any walking artists around the world. 
Listen to this audio at the start of your walk. 
Record a 1-2 minute voice message about what you notice on your walk and send to Amy at a.tsilemanis@gmail.com
She will create a piece that weaves together all the voices and experiences anonymously.
Love to hear from you!

 

Audio Transcript:

Hello, welcome, Amy T here and a little adventure prompt for you.
Start inside a house
Before you leave the house, select any book from around you and turn to page 9, 53, or 202
Note an intriguing word, phrase, or sentence and write it down or remember it. This will be your walking companion.

Walk outside the house. If you’re not at Johanna find any tree that you’re drawn to and stand by it.  At Johanna, you’ll head towards the peace tree. It’s a birch tree, between the house and the driveway, with a wonky brick path that leads to it, and a mushroom solar light at its base. It is also known as the fairy tree. 

As you stand here with the tree, feel your feet on the ground and reach your eyes to the sky, and think about which traditional country you are on, sending respect to traditional owners, and to all the living inhabitants of this place.
The peace tree is a place to bring our offerings- shells and feathers, or our hopes and wishes.
We’ll return to this tree, or any you’ve chosen, at the end of the walk and I invite you to bring it something, physical or a thought or song, and leave your offering in any way you wish. 
On your travels, record me a voice message, a dispatch from your wander, with the things you noticed and any questions or answers that may have arisen. I will weave our wanders and voices together. 

A poem for your travels:

There is room for everyone

Waking with these words on my tongue,
The question mark in my gut,
Longing for it to become-
Truth
Turf toiled with love

The garden party, the cities ruined by bombs,
The bears-who know no borders-
Poisoned and re pieced
By a team of those who don’t believe in extinction
but that co-existence might still be done

Un-kin, in foreign skins, but blood within
Let there be room for everyone
All creatures under the sun,
Hold space not ground
Flowers to the butts of guns
In prayers of peace, to all not some-

Let there be room for everyone

Music beneath the poem is 'Speak Forever' by Gelareh Pour's Garden Quartet https://gelareh.bandcamp.com/album/garden-quartet

An Easter Walking prompt

You Are Here is a site-responsive audio project I am currently developing, which will merge archival material with the interview, field recordings, field notes and music found in or related to specific locations, where the work will be performed live. This piece will be further developed with a residency at Poplar Union later next year.

You Are Here: Poplar demo

Commissioned work for Art Walk Porty's 'Bandstand Project' featuring the Portobello Community Choir.

More information on the project here: https://artwalkporty.co.uk/2018/bandstand-project.html

Lament For The Scots Pine

Tamsin L G

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