Flutterances is a public arts research project aimed at developing a method of creating a rhythmic vocal response to the sound of bird song in our public spaces.
Using the phonetic description of bird sounds that are found in field guides
members of the public were invited to experience their local open spaces with fresh ears during "Listening Walks" led by Jane and an expert in the local environment.
Then using the phonetic descriptions of the songs of the birds identified at the site Jane and the participants co-devise a series of performance poems
which explored the possibility of sound to translate the ephemeral elements of our everyday landscapes & soundscapes.
The project documented and recorded the results so that there was a visual and aural legacy.
To launch Flutterances Jane invited the public to join her near the War Memorial and King's Bastion on the Great Lines in Medway, Kent, Where they had an opportunity to find out more about Flutterances and how to be part of the project. There was an opertunity to meet the artist and make some beautiful Paper Birds of different varieties which were subsiquently exhibited publicly in the front entrance of the visitors center in Rochester High Street between 21 June and 30 August 2009. There was also a listening post instaled with the display so that members of the public could hear how the project had progressed.
The Flutterances project began with a special Listening Walk on the Great Lines on Wednesday 20th May
were several intrepid walkers were taken on a guided walk over the Great Lines to see what they could hear.
At the end of the walk the group took the opportunity to indulge in some fluttering, the results of which can be heard here.
After that a group of dedicated flutterers met on a regular basis throughout the summer to experience the surroundings of the Great Lines and develop their flutterings.
You can listen to the recordings from all the flutterances by visiting the
recordings page
of the flutterances blog.
The Flutterances project continued to evolve and develop as the group develop their own interpretations of the Great Lines and resulted in some beautiful and lyrical representations of this amazing place.
| Flutterances is supported by | ||
 |  |  |
| Arts Council England | RSPB | Medway Council |