Listening to the trees

Local arts festival On Land's Edge/Ar Ymyl y Tir is taking place this weekend with a series of events that focus on local history, environment and talent.
Here, a soundwalk led by sound artist Molly Macleod invited us to stop and listen to the layers of noise we could hear - faraway, nearby and even within ourselves, by stopping to listen for a few minutes. 

Using audio equipment, including special microphones attached to the trunks of a trees, she can record their internal sounds. This is best done on a windy day when simply by holding your ear close against a tree it's possible to hear crackling within as the branches sway.

Then we proceeded along the Goodwick Moor's new boardwalk where the reeds sway  and shiver in the lightest breeze. Here Molly dropped microphones into the murky water and invited us to listen to the crackling noises produced by underwater life, via headphones. (Extra)

Finally she poked a long stick into the bog which responded with loud gurgles, burbles and bubbles of released methane. Waterlogged areas such as swamps and marshes are important carbon sinks that store these noxious gases and for this reason alone they should not be disturbed. (I took the opportunity to point out that this is why we should avoid using peat compost in our gardens - in fact it will be banned in the UK  from next year. It's sourced from irreplaceable peat deposits.)

The festival weekend has offered  a feast of entertaining  and rewarding events and performances  by local and visiting artists. Without a doubt, though,  the most notable has been a play based on the true story of a young local man who emigrated to America and died at "Custer's last stand", the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1878. (I blipped about this  here. ) 

The all-female(!) performance  was a triumph and if you would like to know more, do read producer and  blipper  ppatrick's own report on it  here.