Responding to the installation Life in Willow, the Wordplay group have created spoken text which forms the beginning of murmur, a sound piece designed to be experienced alongside the installation.

murmur (noun) to speak or say something very quietly/ a soft, continuous sound/ an unusual
heart sound.

a sonic meditation exploring the relationship between humans and the birds that have for millennia been the beating heart of the somerset levels. murmur begins on this land in the present moment, moving into a celebration of the poetic, emotive aerial world of swallow murmurations. we then chart a journey into deep time, invoking the haunting sounds of birds that once thrived on this land – great bustards, white cranes and countless other species. at this moment of ecological crisis and widespread decline in wetland habitats and bird populations, we honour their presence whilst we feel and mourn their loss.

duration 9 mins

how to listen: 
~ensure headphones are synced with bluetooth on your phone
~set sound levels
~scan the QR code
~play the piece directly from the link
~please return headphones for the next visitor to use

biogs:
Featuring text and voices of the Wordplay group: Bernard, Bernadette, Endaf, Graham P, Robert H, Warren. Wordplay began at ARK in 2024 with two courses of workshops by the Somerset Charity Take Art. The group has continued independently with a diverse range of ages and abilities. We come together to play with words with much laughter, mutual support and encouragement, building confidence and communication skills and discovering new
friends in the process.

Sound by superfluxx – an interdisciplinary mash up between artists James Cook and Zoë Laureen Palmer. Working with time, space, speculation and ecological nerdiness we take a playful, intuitive approach to layering organic textures with electroacoustic music, field
recordings and sound to create immersive experiences that explore and restore the connection between our inner and outer worlds.