Writing of Stones (2016)
Writing of Stones was a large-scale site-specific sound piece, commissioned for St. George’s Church on the Isle of Portland.
The project was developed through an artist residency (2013/14), and exhibited during the b-side Festival 2014. Writing of Stones was a large-scale sound composition, occupying the nave and galleries of the C18th church. The soundwork was accompanied by a limited edition newsprint distributed from the site.
The work was complemented by a number of events, including a concert performance of the work inaugurating the festival, a perambulatory tour of St. George's graveyard, and a conversation with artists Duncan Whitley, Daniel Jones and James Bulley convened by writer and curator Cecilia Wee.
"Writing of Stones is a site-specific sound work by Duncan Whitley, created for St. George’s Church on Reforne. The artist’s haunting installation resonates within the fabric of the church - built in the mid-eighteenth century of Portland stone - occupying its pews, galleries and nave with the ethereal and elusive medium of sound. The installation invokes the idea of St. George’s and its cemetery as a quiet witness to its environment; testament to human and ecological narratives. Informed by obscure tales from Portland history and folklore, its three ‘chapters’ (The Storm, The Working of Stone, and The Hymn) take us on an abstract journey woven through sound, architecture and memory.”
Writing of Stones limited edition newsprint. Read the full newsprint in digital here:
Credits:
Commissioned by: b-side for the b-side Festival 2014 (Portland, Dorset)
Sponsored by: Television Film Services.
Supported by: The Churches Conservation Trust and Portland Heritage Study Centre.
Thanks: Weymouth Masonry College, Island Community Action, Portland Community Crooners, Jackson Singers, IPACA Royal Manor Campus and all the individuals who participated in sound recording sessions at St. George's Church.
Special thanks: Pat and Bob Williams, Nikki Fryer, Shirley Mitchell, Carenza Hayhoe, Julie Penfold and Frances Scott.
Photographs by Brendan Buesnel. All rights reserved © Brendan Buesnel 2014