A Sense Of Place

Monday, 11 January 2010

York Minster Nights - January 2010

A Sense of Place was featured as part of York Minster Nights. You can see some images here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1328214@N23/pool/

Thursday, 24 July 2008

Project Updates - New Remixes

After a recent residency at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC), Queen's University Belfast, Damian (working in the SARC Sonic Lab above) has prepared two new mixes of A Sense of Place [Revisited]. This has been prompted by recent reworkings of the piece for specific venues and a desire to have a 'definitive' version that can be easily used and installed in possible future locations. So we now have a new 5.1 mix suitable for DVD and a new stereo version to accompany it - both have involved a complete remix of the piece together with the addition of new material, mainly in the Bedern section.

John is going to be working with Damian on video material for this new version ready for final authoring to DVD. We're hoping to have a new presentation of the installation to coincide with the launch of Me, Myself and MRI in January 2009.

Monday, 17 March 2008

A Sense of Place [Revisited II] - Bedern

A Sense of Place was 'performed' today at Bedern Hall, York as part of the Virtual Audio and Past Environments Conference.

A Sense of Place [Revisited II] is a redevelopment of the original piece, designed for more general presentation. The emphasis is now on the audio aspects of the work, with images of the original installation used to reinforce key themes and ideas. This version was specially reworked for Bedern Hall.

Friday, 24 November 2006

York Minster Impulse Responses

A copy of the York Minster impulse responses are now available on the SpACE-Net website:

http://space-net.org.uk/node/50

Friday, 27 October 2006

Publication in Leonardo Magazine

Sense of Place has featured in an article written for Leonardo Magazine by Dr Damian Murphy. Entitled 'Spatial Audio Measurement, Modeling and Composition' the article details the work of Damian's 18 month research Fellowship.

LEONARDO, Vol.39, No.5, pp.464-466, 2006

Monday, 24 April 2006

Feedback

Feedback from one visitor:

"Been meaning to get in touch to say how much I enjoyed a Sense of Place. Thought it was a really powerful installation and I loved the piece of music you used in it. Out of all the pieces Renaissance commissioned I reckon it best fulfilled the criteria. So what's next...?!"

Thursday, 16 February 2006

Comments from launch

"I have been telling everyone I've met this morning to go up and see/ hear /experience it."

About 'A Sense of Place'

A Sense of Place ran in Bootham Bar, York from January to April 2005.

"a really powerful
installation"

OVERVIEW

A Sense of Place is an interactive sound and light piece created to reflect the 2000 year old link between two of the most important sites in the City of York – York Minster originally the site of the Roman Legionary Headquarters and the symbolic heart of the City, and Bootham Bar, one of the four main gates of the Roman legionary fortress and still used as an entrance to the city today.

While these two sites remain true to their original architectural intent, around them York has dramatically changed and developed to the modern City we experience today. A Sense of Place looks at aspects of the story of York over these past 2000 years from the perspective of these two architectural focal points and interprets them through an immersive sound and light installation.

THE PIECE

At the heart of the piece is the Minster itself, which over a period of two nights has been measured and recorded to provide an acoustic fingerprint of how it shapes sound through its long, dense and dramatic echoes. This allows aspects of the piece to accurately sound as if they were being played within the nave of the Minster itself, transforming the interior of Bootham Bar into a representation of the Minster – a building many times its size. Wherever possible the recordings used in the work have been sourced from locations in and around the City and all directly reflect the story that is being told in sound and light.

A Sense of Place tells this story through three distinct sections, between which the sound of present day York can be heard, hinting at how history helps to determine our own place in the world:

The Place Where the Yew Trees Grow - reflects the foundation and naming of Roman York as Eboracum.

Bedern – is inspired by the traditional tune of York, dating from 1615, and is a lament to a specific site within the city walls that at its height in the 13th century was the seat of the Vicars Choral (responsible for celebrating masses in the Minster for the souls of their dead patrons), to the mid 19th century when it was a slum and a ghetto for Irish immigrants, and the location for ‘The Ragged School’ for ‘the poorer classes’ where many of the children who attended met a pitiful end at the hands of one particular headmaster.

The Railway King - recalls the life and death of George Hudson who brought the railways to York. Upon his death in 1871 his body was brought back to the city from London on a railway carriage, and was there processed through the streets to the sound of the tolling Minster bell as people gathered to wish him a final farewell