Welcome, my name is Cheryl Beer. I am an ecomusicologist interested in the relationships between music, sound and nature, particularly within fragile ecologies. To accompany my music & sound art compositions, I make conservation films. Initially, I began filmmaking to give visual context for the D/deaf community and as a result, it has become an embedded aspect of my creative practice.
My life hasn’t always been this way. Throughout my career, I have been a professional musician, composing songs, engaging communities & directing large scale music events. However, the advent of sudden hearing loss and associated conditions 8 years ago, changed my life radically, inspiring me to dig deep and unearth new ways of composing by exploring the silent sonic of the natural world through visual sound.
What began as a healing practice, repurposing hearing aid technology to notate music from nature's biorhythms, led to a year long residency as a Sound Artist in the Rainforests of Wales, composing a symphony from beneath the bark that organically grew into an international campaign, empowering the voice of fragile ecologies across the globe. At the end of 2023, after an 18 month international tour of Cân y Coed Rainforest Symphony, I was selected for a prestigious Future Wales Fellowship, exploring a creative enquiry into Nature-led Music & Emotional Connectivity.
My Fellowship research began close to home, at the flood defence walls in Llanelli, exploring the idea of notating music from the visual patterns upon the beach. At first, the myriad of far reaching sand ripples read like ethereal poetry, but on closer inspection, the black dust within them spoke a menacing warning, that although our sophisticated systems had seemingly stopped shore erosion, one black grain at a time, the sea was still wearing down our defences. I wanted to know, what did these transient warnings sound like; what was the sea persistently trying to tell us?
My Fellowship research began close to home, at the flood defence walls in Llanelli, exploring the idea of notating music from the visual patterns upon the beach. At first, the myriad of far reaching sand ripples read like ethereal poetry, but on closer inspection, the black dust within them spoke a menacing warning, that although our sophisticated systems had seemingly stopped shore erosion, one black grain at a time, the sea was still wearing down our defences. I wanted to know, what did these transient warnings sound like; what was the sea persistently trying to tell us?
Taking a manuscript book and a penciI, I began sketching the ripple patterns onto sheet music, discovering melodies written upon the sand canvas, composed by the tidal waves. Inspired, I began devising a creative practice that I have named Sonic Sketching; collaborating with nature to compose music with the visual patterns woven by the natural world and it is this that you will encounter when you join my Sonic Nature Artist Research Trail.
With the initial stages of my creative enquiry complete, it was time to bring what I had learnt into the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where I am based as Artist in Residence for the duration of the Future Wales Fellowship. During one of my visits, I ventured to Waun Las, the adjoining Wales National Nature Reserve managed by the Garden, and whilst sitting beneath the canopy of an enormous 200 year old oak tree, I began Sonic Sketching the vast landscape as it stretched against the sky. It was such a beautiful experience that my heart almost burst. I didn't need technology to hear melodies, with Sonic Sketching now embedded into my creative practice, I could see them - everywhere. For the next phase of my Fellowship, I began researching inclusive ways to share my findings with others and importantly, record their response to help me understand my work in the context of the wider community. It is this feedback that helped me to shape Sonic Nature.
Sonic Nature Artist Research Trail : Sensing the Garden of Wales
Following many interesting environmental conversations with Garden staff, volunteers & visitors, I began Sonic Sketching in five different locations, creating a hybrid, Sonic Nature Artist Research Trail that invites you to experience Sonic Sketching from wherever you are in the world and for me to find out how you respond to my work. The Trail is a collection of melodies & stories led by our fragile and yet resilient, vulnerable and yet enduring ecology, with an additional collection of behind the scenes blogs to give you a deeper insight.
Your Invitation ...
I'd like to extend a personal invitation for you to experience my Sonic Nature Artist Research Trail : Sensing the Garden of Wales. It's easy to join in and accessible from wherever you are - simply click the link. You'll find videos in English, Welsh & BSL, with space for your thoughts & reflections. Your contribution will help shape my work going forwards. Of course, you can also take part at the Garden itself by scanning the QR Coded signs at each location. Alternatively, you may wish to join me at the Garden throughout the year for a Silent Walk to the 200 year old tree or sit with me in the Bee Hut to experience the vibration of the hive beneath your skin ...
Your Invitation ...
I'd like to extend a personal invitation for you to experience my Sonic Nature Artist Research Trail : Sensing the Garden of Wales. It's easy to join in and accessible from wherever you are - simply click the link. You'll find videos in English, Welsh & BSL, with space for your thoughts & reflections. Your contribution will help shape my work going forwards. Of course, you can also take part at the Garden itself by scanning the QR Coded signs at each location. Alternatively, you may wish to join me at the Garden throughout the year for a Silent Walk to the 200 year old tree or sit with me in the Bee Hut to experience the vibration of the hive beneath your skin ...
If you are interested in finding out more about the different aspects of my work, such as my time with the Helmholtz Institute composing sound art from the call of a killer whale in the melting ice caps of Antarctica or you're interested in my other projects, such as orchestrating Cân y Coed Rainforest Symphony for a bass recorder quintet, feel free to browse through my website pages. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in my creative practice & for making the time to visit. If you'd like regular insights, why not add me as a friend on FACEBOOK - come & say hello, it will be good to connect with you. Warmly, Cheryl.
'Hidden beneath oceans, deep within the seas, spread across landscapes, beneath the bark of trees, a myriad of silent symphonies'
Honorary Member of the Top 100 Inspirational Women of Wales for her Contribution to the Arts
Finalist of the 2024 St. David's Award for her National & International Cultural Contribution to Wales
Finalist of the 2024 St. David's Award for her National & International Cultural Contribution to Wales
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