When providing an audio element to a work, I needed to be careful that it doesn’t tell too much, so the viewer can relate to it themselves. For the project, I decided to combine a sound for its context and another to mark the making process. I always knew that the ‘voice of the child’ would be represented – the fervent whispers of a young girl reading passages from her favourite books, in bed, under the covers with a torch, as I often did as a child. For this, a friend’s daughter obliged and she didn’t even bat an eyelid when I asked her to follow the method school of acting – in bed, under the covers and reading the stories by torchlight.
Crushing kraft paper, an integral part of the process. Photo Shirley A
The second track came to me while crushing the rolls of kraft paper to give them bark-like texture. I’d never before considered that makes of kraft paper could sound so different, but one had a particular crispness – the heavy-duty 90 gsm roll from GP Globe Packaging – that actually sent a shiver down my spine.
Not being particularly techie, I used online software Audacity to combine the seven tracks of narrated stories with a 5-minute recording of me crushing the paper. Audacity is simpler to use than Adobe Premiere (I was introduced to this bewildering software a few years ago and have not used it since) and with the help of a Youtube tutorial – How to Use Audacity to Record & Edit Audio – I was able to fine-tune the varying audio levels and export the file onto an MP3 player. This will be played on a loop at two points within the installation – one at the entrance to the work, and the other in the secret garden area, hidden within the main tree structure. Patrick had suggested using resonance speakers but, as these need Bluetooth to work and the room’s computer is to be removed, I went for the two-speaker plug-in system that Naomi Groves can supply.
I’ll play around with lighting, but I am veering towards having the room’s lighting dimmed and just one spotlight trained on the secret garden area to emphasise the painted structures. I’m also considering using another two lights for the exit path, although this could share the lighting used by James, the artist using the area next to my space.
Above is an audio recording for Spring Crush: the crumpling of kraft paper as a backdrop to a child’s excited narration of favourite book extracts. Recording Shirley A