Warplands

Warplands is an original soundwork combining music and text, created in collaboration with Mike Pearson and commissioned by the AHRC Landscape and Environment Impact Fellowship.

The work follows from the Carrlands project, and is inspired by the areas of land around the river Trent, where it meets the Ouse and enters the Humber. The area includes the 'emptiest place in Britain' - the only single kilometre grid-square on a 1:50,000 OS map that is completely blank.

The soundwork is in two movements and aims to show little-known places to a new audience, and to explore the way that land is changed by humans over time.

The work was performed live as part of the the Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference on 1st September 2011 at the Royal Geographical Society in London, with text written and performed by Mike Pearson, music composed by John Hardy assisted by Rob Whitehead, with live elements performed by John Hardy (cornetto, trumpet and percussion) and recorded elements performed by Trystan Hardy (cello) and Sarah-Jayne Porsmoguer (cor anglais), video shot by Russell Basford and Louise Ritchie, projection sequences assembled by Russell Basford with Mike Pearson, live sound engineered by Rob Whitehead.

Find out more at the AHRC Landscape & Environment Warplands page.