Archaeology of the Ear

ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE EAR
LISTENING TO HISTORIC PLACES
a series of hour length listening programmes exploring historic places and artefacts that have sonorous and musical stories to tell

supported by Help Musicians UK and Arts Council England

"I was really knocked out by this, terrific!" - PETER KENNARD

"I think this must be a unique series of programmes" - ANNEA LOCKWOOD

| episode 5 THE WHISPERING GALLERY
Accompanied by archivist Rebecca Phillips, Chris Cundy returns to Gloucester Cathedral in the South West of England to look for a whispering gallery amongst its labyrinth of medieval staircases and passageways. We follow a story about how its unusual acoustics inspired Daphne Oram’s vision behind the BBC Radiophonic Workshop established in the 1950’s to popularise electronic music. Narratives by Ladan Hussein (aka Cold Specks) and Adam Horovitz

| episode 4 THE WINDOW
Chris Cundy meets pioneering composer and sound artist Annea Lockwood to talk about her innovative work with glass during the 1960’s, and we return to Gloucester Cathedral to look at its breathtaking medieval east window. We visit glass expert Leonie Seliger at her studios in Canterbury, and hear from historian Dr Helen Lacey about how the window reveals a clue about one of the most tumultuous events in English history. Including narratives read by the poet and writer Adam Horovitz

| episode 3 THE POSTCARD
Chris Cundy goes to Gloucester Cathedral in the South West of England to meet archivist Rebecca Phillips. We follow a story of a postcard that solved a puzzle of how to put a 72ft high window back together after it had been taken apart during WWII. Political campaigner and photo montage artist Peter Kennard talks about the social currency of postcards, and singer and performance artist Anna Homler divulges about her fascination with all things small and postcard sized

| episode 2 THE TREE
In this episode Chris Cundy looks at an illustration of a speaking tree that changes sex from male to female during the night in the pages of the Shahnameh, the ancient Persian Book of Kings. We also talk to musician, songwriter and former tree surgeon Baby Dee about her relationship to trees and their recurring theme in her own songwriting. Plus singer and songwriter Ladan Hussein (aka Cold Specks) reads a short text describing the magnetic sound of trees

| episode 1 THE BEE
We hear from Cambridgeshire beekeeper and sound recordist Richard Youell about his experiences of listening to bees, and contemplate the ancient cave paintings of the Iberian peninsula which show the very earliest depictions of a swarm. We hear from banjo player Baby Copperhead and there's a polyphonic setting by viola player Benedict Taylor. Narratives are read by Somali-Canadian singer Ladan Hussein (aka Cold Specks) and Mike Ward of Longstone

| pilot episode THE POTTERY
In this pilot episode Chris Cundy goes to Winchcombe Pottery in Gloucestershire where the experimental composer Cornelius Cardew was born in 1936. We discover a cider jar that sheds light on Cardew's own past and reveals something about his approach to historic and mythological text in his music. Interviews are with potter Matt Grimmitt and singer and recording artist Gwenno Saunders. Narratives by poet and writer Adam Horovitz.