Barnfield Pit by hand of stabs

This recording is an invocation of the Palaeolithic woman whose
skull fragments were discovered by the amateur archaeologist Alvan T. Marston at Barnfield Pit, north-west Kent in 1935.
The excavation site is a stone's throw from the Bluewater shopping complex and Hand of Stabs are fascinated that the area itself epitomises both the beginning and end of cultural life on this island.
While recording, we envisaged this 400,000 year-old spirit moving through the retail outlets and food halls, imagining the emotional collision or attraction that might occur between those opposing worlds.
The album ends on a rasping cello note that suggests a final breath and reminds us that in the far future, our shopping arcades and sandwich franchises will themselves be history.

Capt. Rex Standish - signal
James Worse - pulse
Jocelyn Von Bergdorff - interference

HoS embrace complete improvisation in unconventional spaces.

Past performances have taken place in; an RSPB Bird Reserve, a Bronze-Age burial site, a library, a lightship, a museum, an 11th century church and in a waste water pumping station.

Facebook
Twitter