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Preparing for Sound Art in The Woodland Trust Celtic Rainforests of Wales
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My name is Cheryl Beer. I am The Conduit Composer; a hearing-impaired Environmental Sound Artist & Musician, notating nature in her hour of distress, so that we might hear her better. Currently, I am in The Woodland Trust Rainforests of Wales, collating the biorhythms of trees, so that I can compose a tree-led Sound Sculpture, but before any of that can happen, there were so many things that I needed to consider.
For instance, when I went to my wardrobe to pack, it seems that working from home during the pandemic, had resulted in going up a size (or two). So, I needed to kit myself out with bigger cargo pants & water proofs. The shop assistant reassured me that ‘everyone has gone up a dress size this year’ and ‘if that was the least of our worries, we were lucky.’ Then I had to think about what equipment I would take and how I might carry it, but the thing that concerned me most, right from the outset, was how my hearing would fair in the middle of a rainforest. Even with my hearing aids in, I struggle to hear sounds from behind – suppose a tree fell or a small animal approached me? So, I made a very important decision when I was applying for the Unlimited commission. I would need a hearing assistant. Someone who could be my extra pair of ears. It had to be somebody really special. Somebody that I could connect with. Somebody that understood what I was doing and why, and somebody that would want to get involved on some level in the journey. Alison is a beautiful person. She and her husband made a sensory garden in my back yard and they have really looked out for me during the Pandemic. Also, Alison is very good at arts & crafts. Her garden is just a dream, with a towering oak tree, that she loves. I knew instinctively, from the way she connects to nature, that her caring personality and her love of creativity, would make her perfect as my hearing assistant, but actually, she became much more. Alison made a first aid kit in a bum bag, which I thought was a genius idea. I ordered a waterproof rucksack, so that I could carry all of my equipment in one place. I invested in state-of-the-art digital technology, that could be easily portable. Finally, my equipment was ready; I had completed the R&D phase of my commission; I had bought all the clothes I needed, and washed and ironed the others; my rucksacks were packed and Alison had said ‘Yes!’ Off we trundled in my little, yellow beetle, up to North Wales. I booked a cottage because it was more economical than to stay in separate rooms in a hotel and also, we would be able to self-cater. Alison loves to cook. She brought with her lots of the vegetables that she grows in her garden. It was heart-warming to know that the potatoes had been grown by her, and she made us a rhubarb crumble when we got there, from the rhubarb out of her garden. The cottage was absolutely beautiful, with character seeping from the old stone work. I think that it used to be a barn. My bedroom, overlooking the back garden, had an old, stable door where the top section opens. I gave Alison the bedroom overlooking the front garden. I decided to take my memory foam mattress with me, because I have had trouble with sciatica. I wanted to be sure that I was going to get a good night’s sleep. When we got there, the first thing we did was to settle into the cottage, so we unpacked and tried to find out how everything worked. With it being so old, it wasn’t obvious. We were in the middle of nowhere and it was very quiet and strange noises made us jump. On the first night, the water tank made a terrible thud. We nearly hit the roof, ‘What on earth was that!’ When the thud was followed by a toilet flush, we guessed that it wasn’t a ghost! |
We had good weather on arrival, so decided to take advantage of that, leaving straight away to scope the first of the rainforests, The Woodland Trust Coed Felenrhyd, which is near Harlech. It was a 20-minute drive for us, past the stunning coastal views & the old castle.
The entrance to The Woodland Trust Coed Felenrhyd is on the roadside, right next to Maentwrog Nuclear Power Station. We were taken aback by the juxta position between the nuclear and the nature. The plant has been decommissioned but it will take 50 years for it to close down. Coed Cadw have acquired the rainforests and are guardians, preserving and nurturing our eco history in the Now, for the future. It feels really important to support their work. They are clearing non- native trees and harvesting acorns to grow & plant. It’s a non-stop commitment and their passion for restoring the rainforests is inspirational. In my planning, I had envisioned that we would set up somewhere for the day and work from that base, but in scoping the rainforest, we could see that was not possible because Coed Felenrhyd is on a very steep hillside, and there are no obvious places to set up. Coed Cadw has worked hard and installed a fantastic rack of stone & wooden steps, with regular benches, so we decided to go from bench to bench, with little snacks and flasks of tea. Rather than have a permanent base, we’d set up at each bench, as we went deeper into the rainforest. Alison took a tarpaulin which was really handy because on the first day that we started recording, it was pouring down with rain. On the one hand, I got some amazing, ambient sound, but my technological equipment is obviously at risk if it gets wet. Whilst I was collating the biorhythms of trees, Alison found an underground beehive. Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust warn that these bees are not like ordinary bees. They are much more aggressive than the bees that we might get in our garden. Wild bees are not so domesticated as we are used to. They are much more territorial about their space, so Alison just left her camera running and we moved away. She managed to capture some of them coming in and out, they looked like they were talking to each other at the doorway as if to say ‘What’s going on out there?’ ‘Who’s out there?’ ‘Are we on camera?’. At the top of the rainforest, I started recording the ambient sounds and Alison laid out the tarpaulin. We lay down with our backs to the soil, letting Mother Earth hold us in that space, looking up through the trees to the sky. Coed Felenrhyd is named in the Mabinogion, an ancient text at the heart of Welsh folklore & storytelling, the moss here is over 10,000 years old. We had a real sense of the ancient ancestors who had walked this earth before us. We sat on a bench in the tree tops, looking down on the whole rainforest. I asked Alison if she would join me in recording an audio description, as I think it’s really good practice to have two perspectives. It was lovely to hear how she was feeling. The audio description is aimed at people who are visually impaired. They will be able to get a sense of how we felt and what we could see in that space from listening to our live audio descriptions. It worked really well and is something that we did throughout the entire residency. The rain stopped and it was much grassier on the way down, softer on the feet. We went home for a lovely home cooked meal, ready to begin collating the biorhythms of trees & converting them into digital sound, so that back in my studio, I would be able to compose tree-led music. In my next blog, I’ll be introducing you to the trees that I worked with & the astonishing & unexpected findings that took our breath away. Thank you for listening. This podtape is available in Welsh language. The work is part of my Main Unlimited Commission funded by The Arts Council of Wales. |
Paratoi ar gyfer Celfyddyd Sain yng Nghoedwigoedd Glaw Celtaidd Cymru
Roedd dihuno ar ôl colli fy nghlyw yn drawmatig. Ar y pryd, roedden i'n meddwl na fydden i fyth yn dod dros y peth. Gwerthais fy offerynnau a rhoi'r gorau i'r gobaith o fod yn gerddor fyth eto. Ymrwymais i wella drwy drwytho fy hunan yn natur, a natur sydd wedi fy ngalluogi i ysgrifennu cerddoriaeth unwaith eto. Ond y tro hwn, sianel ydw i ar gyfer ei llais hithau. Yn yr un ffordd ag y rhoddodd natur ei hun yn llwyr i mi yn fy awr o gyfyngder, rydw innau nawr yn rhoi fy hun yn llwyr iddi hithau fel artist sain amgylcheddol.
Rydw i wir eisiau dweud wrthych am y goeden a welwch ym mhennyn fy ngwefan, gan mai ei stori hithau â'm symbylodd pan oeddwn yn teimlo'n fwyaf isel. Roeddwn yn byw mewn hen fwthyn gwehydd yng Ngorllewin Cymru, gyferbyn â choedwig. Ychydig o bobl sy'n gwybod am y goedwig neu'n mynd yno. Rwy'n meddwl efallai ei bod mewn perchenogaeth breifat ond mae llwybr cyhoeddus ag arwyddbyst yn mynd drwyddi ac mae'r gymuned leol yn gwirfoddoli i ofalu amdani.
Mae'r goedwig yn sefyll ar riw ddiddiwedd, sy'n dringo fesul lefelau, ac ar yr ail lefel mae coeden sy'n ymgorffori gwydnwch. Ar ryw adeg, bu tirlithriad – efallai pan grëwyd y llwybr troed, a syrthiodd llawr y coetir i ffwrdd oddi tani. Gallwch weld yr holl wreiddiau marw, ac yn ddiddorol, gallwch weld y myseliwm hefyd.
Nid yw gwir bŵer ffyngau, a'r ffordd maent yn helpu coed i aros mewn cysylltiad â'i gilydd, wedi cael ei ddeall tan yn ddiweddar. Myseliwm yw'r edeifion pluog mân a welwch yn hongian wrth wreiddiau datguddiedig coeden. Mae myseliwm nid yn unig yn cysylltu coed â'i gilydd o fewn un goedwig, neu fforest, ond mae hefyd yn cysylltu fforestydd â'i gilydd, fel y gallant ofalu am ei gilydd drwy anfon rhybudd am glefyd sydd wrth law, neu roi gwybod bod popeth yn iawn. Credir bod yr holl goed wedi'u cysylltu yn y ffordd hon cyn i ninnau gyrraedd, a mynd ati i’w torri i gyd. Yn wir, roedd y 4 llain o goedwig law sydd ar ôl yng Nghymru wedi'u cysylltu gan fyseliwm. Dyna pam, wrth i mi gyfansoddi'r cerflun sain terfynol ar gyfer Cân Y Coed, byddaf yn canolbwyntio ar sut i gydblethu'r synau o'r 4 coedwig law, gan eu hailuno â'i gilydd ar ôl miloedd o flynyddoedd.
Ond rwy'n crwydro, nôl â ni at y goeden yn Sir Gâr – rwy'n cofio teimlo’n hollol drist ynglŷn â cholli fy nghlyw. Roeddwn wedi bod yn ganwr/cyfansoddwr caneuon, ac yn awr doedden i ddim yn gallu clywed fy llais y fy mhen hyd yn oed, heb sôn am gyfansoddi cerddoriaeth. Felly roeddwn wedi mynd i'r goedwig i weld clychau'r gog, a dod ar draws y goeden ddewr, wrol hon, nad oedd yn fodlon gollwng ei gafael ar y pridd. Yn lle hynny, roedd wedi cyfeirio’i gwreiddiau tuag at i mewn, a thrwy wneud, hynny, roedd wedi meithrin coeden newydd, coeden ferch, a oedd nawr yn tyfu wrth ei hochr.
Pan lwyddais i sicrhau Comisiwn Lleiafswm gyda Diderfyn ar gyfer Cân Y Coed, roeddwn yn gwybod mod i eisiau mynd nôl at y goeden honno. Pan wnes i hynny, allwn i ddim credu cymaint oedd y ferch wedi tyfu, ac wrth ei hochr roedd glasbren – yr wyres.
Ar y diwrnod cyntaf hwnnw pan wnaethon ni gwrdd, meddyliais, 'Os gall y goeden hon fyw mewn gobaith, gallaf innau wneud hefyd.’ Roedd hwn yn drobwynt i mi – yn lle dweud fy mod wedi torri, disgrifiais fy hun fel rhywun sy'n gwella – wrth newid yr un gair hwnnw, roedd popeth wedi newid.
Roeddwn i wir eisiau ei recordio i chi, ac rwy'n addo y byddaf yn gwneud hynny. Ond mae'r tywydd wedi troi yn fy herbyn ac felly, yn lle hynny, rwy'n cynnwys y goeden yn fy iard gefn. Rwy'n byw yn y dref nawr – stori hir ar gyfer tro arall, ac mae'r coed hyn yn tyfu ar hyd fy stryd. Am wn i, roedd un goeden yn sbâr pan gawsant eu plannu 100 mlynedd yn ôl, a nawr mae honno’n tyfu yn fy ngardd innau. Beth bynnag, mae'n bleser cael eistedd yn fy ngardd a gwrando arni.
Croeso, f'enw i yw Cheryl Beer. Y fi yw'r cyfansoddwr cwndid, yr artist sain amgylcheddol, sy'n nodiannu natur yn ei hawr o gyfyngder, a'ch galluogi i glywed ei chân.
Rydw i wir eisiau dweud wrthych am y goeden a welwch ym mhennyn fy ngwefan, gan mai ei stori hithau â'm symbylodd pan oeddwn yn teimlo'n fwyaf isel. Roeddwn yn byw mewn hen fwthyn gwehydd yng Ngorllewin Cymru, gyferbyn â choedwig. Ychydig o bobl sy'n gwybod am y goedwig neu'n mynd yno. Rwy'n meddwl efallai ei bod mewn perchenogaeth breifat ond mae llwybr cyhoeddus ag arwyddbyst yn mynd drwyddi ac mae'r gymuned leol yn gwirfoddoli i ofalu amdani.
Mae'r goedwig yn sefyll ar riw ddiddiwedd, sy'n dringo fesul lefelau, ac ar yr ail lefel mae coeden sy'n ymgorffori gwydnwch. Ar ryw adeg, bu tirlithriad – efallai pan grëwyd y llwybr troed, a syrthiodd llawr y coetir i ffwrdd oddi tani. Gallwch weld yr holl wreiddiau marw, ac yn ddiddorol, gallwch weld y myseliwm hefyd.
Nid yw gwir bŵer ffyngau, a'r ffordd maent yn helpu coed i aros mewn cysylltiad â'i gilydd, wedi cael ei ddeall tan yn ddiweddar. Myseliwm yw'r edeifion pluog mân a welwch yn hongian wrth wreiddiau datguddiedig coeden. Mae myseliwm nid yn unig yn cysylltu coed â'i gilydd o fewn un goedwig, neu fforest, ond mae hefyd yn cysylltu fforestydd â'i gilydd, fel y gallant ofalu am ei gilydd drwy anfon rhybudd am glefyd sydd wrth law, neu roi gwybod bod popeth yn iawn. Credir bod yr holl goed wedi'u cysylltu yn y ffordd hon cyn i ninnau gyrraedd, a mynd ati i’w torri i gyd. Yn wir, roedd y 4 llain o goedwig law sydd ar ôl yng Nghymru wedi'u cysylltu gan fyseliwm. Dyna pam, wrth i mi gyfansoddi'r cerflun sain terfynol ar gyfer Cân Y Coed, byddaf yn canolbwyntio ar sut i gydblethu'r synau o'r 4 coedwig law, gan eu hailuno â'i gilydd ar ôl miloedd o flynyddoedd.
Ond rwy'n crwydro, nôl â ni at y goeden yn Sir Gâr – rwy'n cofio teimlo’n hollol drist ynglŷn â cholli fy nghlyw. Roeddwn wedi bod yn ganwr/cyfansoddwr caneuon, ac yn awr doedden i ddim yn gallu clywed fy llais y fy mhen hyd yn oed, heb sôn am gyfansoddi cerddoriaeth. Felly roeddwn wedi mynd i'r goedwig i weld clychau'r gog, a dod ar draws y goeden ddewr, wrol hon, nad oedd yn fodlon gollwng ei gafael ar y pridd. Yn lle hynny, roedd wedi cyfeirio’i gwreiddiau tuag at i mewn, a thrwy wneud, hynny, roedd wedi meithrin coeden newydd, coeden ferch, a oedd nawr yn tyfu wrth ei hochr.
Pan lwyddais i sicrhau Comisiwn Lleiafswm gyda Diderfyn ar gyfer Cân Y Coed, roeddwn yn gwybod mod i eisiau mynd nôl at y goeden honno. Pan wnes i hynny, allwn i ddim credu cymaint oedd y ferch wedi tyfu, ac wrth ei hochr roedd glasbren – yr wyres.
Ar y diwrnod cyntaf hwnnw pan wnaethon ni gwrdd, meddyliais, 'Os gall y goeden hon fyw mewn gobaith, gallaf innau wneud hefyd.’ Roedd hwn yn drobwynt i mi – yn lle dweud fy mod wedi torri, disgrifiais fy hun fel rhywun sy'n gwella – wrth newid yr un gair hwnnw, roedd popeth wedi newid.
Roeddwn i wir eisiau ei recordio i chi, ac rwy'n addo y byddaf yn gwneud hynny. Ond mae'r tywydd wedi troi yn fy herbyn ac felly, yn lle hynny, rwy'n cynnwys y goeden yn fy iard gefn. Rwy'n byw yn y dref nawr – stori hir ar gyfer tro arall, ac mae'r coed hyn yn tyfu ar hyd fy stryd. Am wn i, roedd un goeden yn sbâr pan gawsant eu plannu 100 mlynedd yn ôl, a nawr mae honno’n tyfu yn fy ngardd innau. Beth bynnag, mae'n bleser cael eistedd yn fy ngardd a gwrando arni.
Croeso, f'enw i yw Cheryl Beer. Y fi yw'r cyfansoddwr cwndid, yr artist sain amgylcheddol, sy'n nodiannu natur yn ei hawr o gyfyngder, a'ch galluogi i glywed ei chân.
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