Signing off ... for now...

It has been a most enjoyable month sharing the treasures of the North West Sound Archives. I am signing off for now, but hope to continue the work. Check my news updates for developments.

To finish a few favourite quotes from the meetings I have had along the way:

'If you don't know where you are coming from, you don't know where you are or where you are going.'

'If I'm stressed I bake, if I'm happy I bake, if I'm just ordinary... I bake.'

'You can't beat your memories.'

Extracts from 'A Feelin That is Felt...'

Here are a couple of extracts from the installation 'A Feelin That is Felt Way Down Inside Thee'
Jonny O'Sailor Rounds by NWSAproject
Drowned in a Pot of Jam Mix by NWSAproject

Feelins That are Felt....

Emerging once more after being off in Rossendale teaching an intensive course at Horse and Bamboo Theatre. The Saturday 10th of July installation was a great success at Clitheroe Castle. I estimated about 450 people came through and heard the sounds of my piece echoing over to Pendle hill...

As I was aware of the siting we had chosen well in advance I chose to use archive recordings of play songs for much of the raw material. This was, in my opinion, very successful artistically, fusing sound and space.

It was wonderful to see children jumping to the play songs. One member of the public suggested that next time skipping ropes and a ball be put out with the piece. Not a bad idea… Children stopped transfixed following the stereo panning in the space. In the section about food the repetition of Rose Nutall’s talk about humbugs got several laughs. This is the first time a sound installation of mine has got people laughing out loud.

I have been assessing the whole project, well over 600 people were directly contacted during the course of the month, there were also over 600 listens to material from the North West Sound Archives, including over 150 online.

I hope I have shown that there can be a variety of ways of utilising this extraordinary resource, it is an historical document, but it is also a source of inspiration, humour, stories, mystery, joy and reflection.

A Feelin That is Felt Way Down Inside Thee

Just emerging from a couple of days finalising the installation piece for Saturday outside Clitheroe Castle Museum. It is now half eleven at night on Friday and I have just finished fiddling around with formats! So excuse me if I don't write too much about it now other than it will be happening outside the museum between 11 and 5 on Saturday the 10th.

The title is a quote from Albert Hill's recording about Christmas 1928, which has been haunting me throughout the month.

I will look forward to seeing people I have met along the way, and writing a bit more about the piece.

Clitheroe Country Market

Earlier today I returned to the Clitheroe Country (formerly WI) market in the United Reform Church Hall. Acting on advice from last week I got there in good time ready to snap up the best things. This weeks purchases: lettuce, a courgette, potato cakes and a strawberry tart. Everyone is poised ready to spring in to action at 10 o'clock sharp. Again the atmosphere was friendly and bustling, beautiful vibrant jams and pickles on display, crafts and plants.

Following up the food theme I have been exploring in the archives I chatted to people about the work of the archives, and gathered some responses and memories. In this clip Flossie explains the background to the market, and what you can find:

Clitheroe Country Market: background by NWSAproject

There are wonderful baked goods on sale, today's taster was Mary's ginger bread. I talked to her about baking. As she puts it 'If I'm stressed I bake, if I'm happy I bake and if I'm just ordinary... I bake.'

Reasons for Baking by NWSAproject

Louise Martin's house

Still playing catch up with the blog here!

Monday morning saw me walking up out of Clitheroe the couple miles it takes to get to Chatburn. Perhaps I was still full of Sunday's walking experience. Anyway, the point was to meet local poet Louise Martin. I met a friend of Louise in Clitheroe music shop whilst out telling people about the archives and the project. He said she would be interesting to meet and record, and so it proved.

We had a lovely morning with me playing some of the clips of Albert Hill (you can hear them on soundcloud ) as a starting point for discussion, reminiscence and a stimulus for Louise to chose some of her poetry to record. We covered the phenomenon of the obligatory uneaten nuts at Christmas, the people who have inspired her writing, the chain of passing on games in schools that have been going for decades... amongst other things. There was much laughter too!

Louise's poetry has a real directness and interestingly reflects many of the themes that have been coming up in my work with the archives- local food, memory, how life has changed even within the life of a generation, and how wonderful rich and varied stories of everyday life can be.

Here is a recording of her poem 'Blackberry', on the face of it an account of blackberry picking, but a lot is simmering just beneath the surface.

Louise Martin: Blackberry by NWSAproject

A full few days...

It has been a full weekend of activity at the NWSA project. Last Saturday saw me at the Atrium cafe at the Castle Museum with a set of food and drink based clips. It was very nice to be joined by Andrew from the archives. It was a bit of a slower day than last weekend. Is everyone recovering from the World Cup ?!

Still the clips provided the starting point for some very interesting responses, discussions and memories. One gentleman from Wigan talked to Andrew and I about dialect and how accents are tending to become homogonised. Andrew mentioned that at one time even which side of the Ribble you were made a distinct difference in accent. It is of course the nature of language that it changes, perhaps now more quickly than ever, yet I think the archives have a valuable role in preserving spoken heritage.

One woman reminisced about working in a mill, and showed me no fewer than 2 scars on her face from seperate injuries. Her husband couldn't help chipping in, 'That one got me us a greenhouse' ....

Once again it is good to make people aware of the archives as a resource, and the value of history and memory in general.

Sunday saw me linking up with people from the community organisation Transition Town Clitheroe. They are a very interesting and active group looking for ways to make the future of Clitheroe sustainable. The occasion was joining Steph Bradley on her 6 month walk across the UK on a mission to collect stories from community groups on the subject of transition. We met up with her in Waddington and walked down to Clitheroe via back roads and past allotments. It proved to be a beautiful evening, if a bit windy, as we approached the town with the castle coming in to view.

As one of the primary focusses of Steph and the group's interests is local food, we had an interesting discussion about how the archives could be a useful resource in 'reskilling' people in a move back to more local food production. I recorded some of the walk and a talk with Steph to put back in the archive, so the links continue from the past, to the present with what I am doing now and in to the future.

Scrumptious Stories

All set for my stint in the Castle Museum cafe tomorrow. I'll have exerpts from the archives, and be ready to record any responses. The theme is food and drink, appropriately enough. There will be some of the snippets I have been using before on this theme, some of which you can already hear on soundcloud . New to the collection I'm using is an account of catching sparrows to make pie, promoting pubs in Preston, and another monologue from the wonderful Albert Hill. This time it's about a Bolton pasty shop, and mouth watering it is too.

I have been working away on the piece for the following weekend, hence no blogging yesterday. Well, apart from the fact it got too hot inside to do anything and I had to go for a walk to clear my head. I have been putting together tracks using some of the play songs from the archives. My idea is that I will play these outside the castle down by the play area. It will be like ghosts of games past, voices coming and going on the breeze...

I am constantly struck by the immediacy of the recordings of oral history in the collection. The years fall away, but there is also something a bit uncanny about them too. It is this quality I want to capture.

Memories of living in the countryside near Blackpool: Catching sparrows

NWSA Sparrows by NWSAproject

An account of how to catch sparrows, and what to do with them once you've got them.

Clips from the archives

If you would like more information about each track you can go to http://soundcloud.com/nwsaproject , click on the individual track and you can find out some background. I have been using these tracks out and about, but you can find the full version of Mary Smith's 'Pig Tale' poem here.

I do some work on the piece for next week a little bit later. However, it is hot and I need the windows open. But from where I am I can hear rather a lot of drilling going on so I might need to shut myself in to hear myself think...

From the archives: I Love You Because... sung by Rose Nuttall

NWSA I Love You Because by NWSAproject

From the archives: A Pig Tale by Mary Smith

NWSA A Pig Tale by NWSAproject

From the archive: Black Pudding by Parkin Bracken

NWSABlack Pudding by NWSAproject

Pies, picalilli and other matters

I have had more of a chance to spread the word about the archives and the project over the last couple of days. Last night I went to the Clitheroe Civic Society meeting last night and had a chance to address the group. Wonderful to see such a great turn out, an active society with people interested in the heritage of the town. Excellent talk by Gordon Taylor and a good chance to have a talk afterwards.

This morning I found my way to the County Market. Not just to stop up on pies, picalilli and jam delicious as it is. I am interested in the links with the food themed entries in the archives. I arranged to come back next week with the portable CD player of clips and recorder to gather some responses. It's on a Tuesday 10-11.30 am at the United Reform Church hall. Sheila says get there early for the best things, there is no mercy for those who hesitate.

The One Man Band

Back home in the shade after a day of sharing some of the recordings from the North West Sound Archives out and about in Clitheroe. It was certainly a hot experience, I had to break off part way through to get sun cream which I had forgotten to put on.

Just a quick refelction on the day, I have had well over 50 conversations about the archives. About a third of the people I talked to were aware of the archives, although recognition was good amongst local people. I've played a range of clips, which genuinely moved and entertained people. At the top of the requests were- tips on black pudding making, the best potatoes for chips and how to catch a greased pig. The best potato was a cause of lively debate! I recorded some responses including the point that the age of the potato is important in chip making, and memories of dripping on fried bread.

I have also made some great contacts that I hope can lead to some donations. I have a card from a dialect poet from Bacup, and talked to a man who used to run a local talking newspaper.

One of the things I have been touched by today is how passionate people are about local history and culture. Often these things are portrayed as being somehow niche concerns or luxury extras. One man I talked to said, 'You need to know your past to know your present and future. You need to know where you are coming from to know where you are going.'

Pick a Track!

I have been at the archives again today, and out distributing the postcards about the up and coming events. Very nice chat in music shop. And a moment of calm with Andrew over a brew.

Still, all is ready for tomorrow's 'Sound Archive One Man Band'. I've prepared some tracks to play people, but the main aim is to get out and see what people know about the archives. To whet your appetite, here are the 11 tracks I have prepared-

Albert Hill from Bolton:
1 Christmas 1928
2 Christmas Cake, or how I was cheated of the 3d bit.
3 A trifle disaster
John Standen, chip shop owner:
4 The best potato for chips
5 Secrets of fish batter
6 Fast food, or fish + chips still come out on top
Parkin Bracken, farmer:
7 How true love brought about the milking machine (in 1939)
8 Tips on making black pudding
Mary Smith:
9 How to catch a greased pig
Rose Nuttall, songs from 1930's music hall
10 'We've Got a Navy'
11 'I Love You Because You're Tender and Kind'

Hope to see you in Clitheroe town centre, Saturday 26th June!

Up and Coming Activities...

Here is some information about up and coming activities in the NWSA project over the next few weekends. Hope to see you there!

Transition Town

On Saturday I went to the 'World Cafe' event hosted at the Grand hosted by Transition Town Clitheroe. They are a community based group working to improve the town and provide practical action for a sustainable future. Many of their interests struck a chord with me and the material in the archives such as local food. It was a very inspiring and well organised event, good to see local people productively engaged. And while some knew about the existance of the archive, others did not...

Particularly interesting was Mark Rotherham's talk on peak oil. He was very eloquent on how the knowledge of old people has been devalued in recent times. The typical 'amusing image' is of the grandchild helping the grandparent to programme the DVD player. But actually, many older skills will come back as being important in a transition economy. Or simply just coming back in to fashion, like the revival of interest in allotments. I couldn't help thinking that the archives are a wealth of useful knowledge, and a good starting point for discussion around these issues. Listening to so many of the accounts makes you realise how quickly life has changed out of all recognition, even from say the 1950s described by one of the recordings of farmers I listened to last week. I look foward to futher links with this group.

Given all of that, it was somewhat ironic that my laptop died on me on Saturday. The Apple shop thinks it's just mechanical, so it could well be up and running again this week. But it may set my work back a bit... Still, onwards and upwards!

Wax Cylinders!

A day away from the archives today. I'm over in Bury at the Met Theatre to sound check Horse and Bamboo Theatre's touring show Little Leap Forward. I also work as Horse and Bamboo's Associate Artist and I have written music for many of their shows. So it's all go. I am looking forward to going to the Transition Town meeting at the Grand in Clitheroe tomorrow...

Still, to keep you entertained, here is a picture of wax cylinders from the archives Laura took. Very nice.

Christmas 1928

Christmas 1928 by NWSAproject

Here is a real gem from the archives. This is the beginning of a cassette tape of Albert Hill's memories of Christmas 1928. I asked Andrew about this recording, but all we know is that Albert Hill came from Bolton and the family donated this tape. Albert has clearly written this down, the language is beautiful and very evocative. He elaborates on a theme that many have talked about over the years, the true meaning of giving at Christmas.

Delving in to the archives again....

Another day of delving in to the archives.

Well, it started off with planning with Mark Mason sitting outside in the sun at the Platform Gallery. I am plotting a few activites centred round my work at the NWSA- more of that to come, so watch this space. Then a quick duck in to Booths, I picked up a wonderful wholemeal loaf called 'the staff of life'.

Then I spent nearly all day listening and gathering again, working through my list from Monday of recordings mentioned in the catalogue, mostly on the food theme again. This time- BLACK PUDDING, KOSHER FOOD IN LIVERPOOL, ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL, and PRESTON PUBS were amongst things on the menu. And definitive advice on the best potato for making chips.

As I went through the day it was a bit like working through a certain period of recording technology history. We began the day on cassette, bringing back memories of me recording off the radio as a teenager. How time consuming it seems now rewinding and full forwarding, instead of having your tracks on CD or nicely set out in iTunes.

Then we progressed on to DAT (Digital Audio Tape) later in the day for some of the recordings made in the 1990s. Some later recordings came on minidisc, in two formats. I used minidiscs quite a lot at one stage, I even ran backing tracks for a show 'Harvest of Ghosts' on a minidisc player in 1999. But that too, seems a while ago now.

I couldn't help reflecting how quickly what once seemed the height recording technology has become outdated, almost seeming as remote as the wax cylinders and 78RPMs in other parts of the archives. Clearly a place like NWSA is important not just for its collection of recordings, but collection of devices to listen to them on as well. Good luck in picking up a DAT player from your local Argos.

This Thing!

Here's a picture of this thing I took in the sound archives. I don't know what it is, but I like it.

And we're off...

Today saw the first day of the project proper for me, with a visit to root around in the North West Sound Archives. It upstairs at the Clitheroe Castle Museum so it is quite something to feel like you're going to work at a Castle!

The plan for the day was to find some recordings as inspiration and source material for my work, and to share with public to let people know about this gem of sound.

With some estimated 140 thousand recordings (many of them an hour long) it was a bit daunting to know where to begin. Luckily Andrew was on hand to guide me through. After a brew, he showed by the archive database which is a rather gloriously retro search engine. It comes from a time before computer mice. Even so it only took a few minutes to master and it certainly does the job. I chose to focus on the music and spoken word/oral history parts of the collection which are further subdivided.

Particularly fruitful was a search on audio to do with food. Each entry has a short description of the contents- a tantalising view in whole worlds and lives. CHRISTMAS 1928. NEW YEAR 1930. CATCHING SPARROWS FOR FOOD. ROSE NUTTALL BORN 1889- ROSE SINGS SONGS OF THE PERIOD TO 1930. WATERCRESS, OATCAKES AND SALT. Well over 1000 items came up for food in oral history, it took me maybe an hour to read through 500 database entries.

Still, I came up with a list of things that seemed promising and had got me curious to hear more. I certainly wasn't disappointed. There is something extraordinary about recordings that make the years fall away. Rose Nuttall may have been born in the 19th century, but that pair of lungs and laugh reached out through the speakers. A happy couple of hours was spent listening and recording, laughing at Mary Smith's poem about how to catch a greased pig, shuddering at descriptions of maggots coming off cured pig meat... The afternoon finished for me with the calm captivating voice of Albert Hill describing Christmas 1928.

I look forward to sharing some of this with you all. Or, contact the archives yourself, or get involved with one of their recording projects.

A Treasure Trove of Sound

Sometimes the most amazing treasures are right under your nose, without you even knowing it. Or in this case, right under your ears....

My name is Loz Kaye, and I have been appointed Artist in Residence at NWSA- the North West Sound Archive. The North West Sound Archive, housed at Clitheroe Castle in the Ribble Valley, is the largest collection of sound recordings in the UK outside of London, and is a collection of international importance. The aim of my presence is to engage the people of Pennine Lancashire (and beyond...) in this amazing resource. I will be sharing this treasure trove of sound, gathering new material and using it for my own work.

As a composer and musician it was thrilling to go in to the archive. Racks and racks of reel to reel tape, even wax cylinders. Stories, memories and songs ready to be shared.

I am looking to contact groups in the Clitheroe area who would like to find out more about this wonderful piece of our heritage, or who would like a short talk on the NWSA, or who would like to share their memories and songs with me. You can contact the project at nwsaproject@gmail.com . I will be 'in residence' between the 14th of June and the 11th July. Watch this space for developments.

... A picture of me recording in the field....