TRIALING OUT IN REAL LIFE

These are images from the space in which the collaboration happened.

This is my first attempt at experiencing the methodology in my practice. I chose to experiment with it at Eridge Deer Park in Sussex. This deer park has been very prevalent throughout my practice over the past 2 years. My ancestors have lived at this deer park snice the 1800’s so my roots here are very deep. In a previous project I create called my ‘Forever Landscape’, I complied a series of recordings detailing what kind of sounds and soundscapes I will be hearing for the rest of my life – this is due to me wanting the be buried in a seed pod burial were a seed is planted inside my body when I die and gives way to new life in the form of a tree. I had also found the exact spot that I wanted to be buried in next to one of my favourite trees. I believe the trees here to literally be new formations of my ancestors’ souls. Their blood and bones decomposed into the land, enriching the soils and there for being a physical part of that land. 

This is a place where I spend most of my time when I don’t live in London. My bond to this landscape is also very strong already, so I felt it right to practice this methodology here and in a sense be collaborating with my ancestors.

Here is the audio from the trial – I used an H5 zoom mic but didn’t wear any headphones.

In the audio you can hear where the microphone is making its own noise – obviously I didn’t know that it was doing this as I was doing the methodology, but its an interesting thought of – is that also part of the collaboration – can you count technology as a collaborator.

It ended up taking me around 30 minuets to complete. I would have like to spend more time on the actual collaboration but I was aware that whoever marks this won’t want to listen to that long a recording.

This recording won’t be what I present for my final outcome. I will re do this experiment once I have altered the methodology and created the booklet.

I haven’t edited anything out of these recordings – I had to split them in 2 as the file was to large for this website – all I did was add fades to the start so they weren’t so abrupt.

Some reflections about recording as I was walking. I didn’t really want to have this recorded as it isn’t supposed to be and also takes away from the actual process of the methodology but for marking purposes, I have recorded the whole experience so the marker can follow along with the travel booklet to understand how I experienced it. I also didn’t think that I would have talked in it, but I ended up describing some things I saw or what step I was at, as through the recording you obviously couldn’t here what I was thinking and if I had seen something of note. I also didn’t like having to hold a recording devices pre collaboration for this – it took away from a lot of the experience. There were moments where I felt as if I should have had my hands free to properly participate in this experience. It seemed as if the only points of recognition that the listener could follow was when in the steps I did some of the breathing exercises. I also found that I kept taking long deep breaths in when my mind was wondering away from the collaboration – this just helped to recentre and refocus my mind.

This is the offering that I found on my walk

Something about the methodology that I think I need to change is when it says take 5 minuets – when I was trailing it I found that I didn’t need a time limit and it outs pressure on you in a sense having a time limit. Instead I could say ‘please take a few moments to …’ . I also found it hard to practice the methodology whist I was reading it. This could just be because I had the microphone in my hand as well as the methodology on my phone. Perhaps it will be different when I do it using the booklet and have the pages properly mapped out.

This is where I placed the offering