Saltaire Arts Trail

The Saltiare Arts Trail 2013 app is live! I’ve been working on this over the last few weeks, alongside the inevitable end-of-semester crunch, and I’m rather pleased with how things have turned out. The app was commissioned with funds from Saltaire Inspired and the Arts Council Grants for the Arts scheme, and is part of what I hope will be a two-year project for Tonality Systems Press. This year implemented a basic framework and suggests a workflow for future use of the app. Next year will, I hope, be more ambitious: collaborating with Saltaire residents and artists, along with composer Nigel Morgan, on a locative soundscape composition to accompany the festival.

Meanwhile, you can get the app for iPhone and Android via the Saltaire Arts Trail website.

There are some fantastic artists involved in the festival, which runs from the 25 to 27th of this month – my favourites being Nicola Taylor‘s folklore-influence photography, the paintings of artist and archaeometallurgist David Starley and the prints of Joy Godfrey and James Bywood (including his screenprint of one of my favourite haunts: Almscliffe Crag!)

Of Three Spirits

I’m very pleased to announce that Three Spirits, the new Xenis Emputae Travelling Band album is now available on cassette from Brave Mysteries.

The album features material from West Kennet Long Barrow, Thurgoland Tunnel, Staups Moor and Littlebeck Woods. The last track of the album, Littlebeck Trisagion, is intended as an aural companion to the chapbook The Mirror of Elicona, published by Hadean Press.

Tracklisting: I. Arc of Difference. II. Hidden Seam & Lode Forde. III. The Great Chord. IV. Edi Beo Thu Heven Quene. V. Littlebeck Trisagion: i. Elicona, ii. Invocation, iii. Almazim.

Who are the ‘three spirits’? Perhaps the spirits alluded to in the music: Elicona, Almazim and the Tutelar of the Place? The titles of tracks I and II are cribbed from David Jones’ rousing call to the genius published under that title. Or perhaps they are the three spirits of those that play on the album: myself, Layla Legard (vocals) and Simon Bradley (cello).

Bradley, Legard and Legard at Lead Church.

Whoever they may be, I hope the mystery only deepens your appreciation of the music! My heartfelt thanks to Nathaniel Ritter & Clay Ruby for all dedication to putting this out and some other brilliant music in their latest set of cassette releases (which includes material by Steven R. Smith of Hala Strana/ Thuja and Maurizio Bianchi). Many thanks to Nathaniel also for putting together this beautiful video for Arc of Difference:

It’s been an extremely busy couple of months, but more regular transmissions from this blog will resume in June. Until then… !