our living rivers and glens

Gill worked with sound artist Pete Stollery on the inspiration phase of ’Our Living Rivers and Glens’ project run by the Dee and Don Ceilidh Collective (Aberdeenshire, funded by Creative Scotland). 

Participants are encouraged to wander, explore and connect with their local environment and generate responses through word, sound, video or images. These are uploaded to an online Google map. Composers then explore the map and use the content as inspiration for new music, so responding to the collective experience and connections the participants make with place.

The new music written by the composers was compiled into a book Our Living Rivers and Glens  with context synthesised by Gill and designer Richy Lamb.

The collective map is an artwork in itself, shows the diverse ranges of responses generated by our participants and the perceptive and insightful connections contributors made with the places inspiring them. Gill has been working on poems to capture this, using what3words for locations: 'poems for a map' (work in progress).

 
Gill and Pete talk ( in a zoom workshop for composers) about the process of participants wandering, exploring, collecting media and uploading to Google Earth Maps for the composers to respond to.

Below is Adam Sutherland, one of our composers at the Glen Gairn 'Ringing Stone'.  Adam was inspired by the 'Ringing Stone', one of the sites on the map chosen by Alan Carr. Adam says he is feeling 'very neolithic'!

Hear an interview about the project on 'Travelling Folk'  BBC Radio Scotland with Helen Needham 

Read more about ’Our Living Rivers and Glens’