Stanway Mill by Stuart Bowditch
Stanway Mill
Painted by John Constable (1776-1837)
Engraved by David Lucas (1802-1881)
Re-published by Henry G. Bohn (1796-1884)
Sound Art Residency and Performances by Stuart Bowditch (b. 1972)
'Hello
My name is Stuart Bowditch and I am a sound artist based in Colchester. During January and February I’ll be artist-in-residence at The Minories in Colchester and will make a new piece of work responding to an artwork In their collection. The piece I have chosen is an etching of ‘Stanway Mill’ by David Lucas, which is itself a copy of a painting by the famous painter John Constable. After quite a bit of research with several local historians there appears not to have been a windmill in Stanway, but it was in fact Copford Mill. Comparing old and new maps the site where Copford Mill once stood is exactly where your house now stands. So I have a request…
can I come and record sound from your back garden? I know that this may seem strange but I’d like to use the sound to make a new piece of work during my residency.
I have included some links to my website, and the Minories website below, but would be happy to send these, and some further research via email if that would be easier. Or, if you’d prefer to have a chat on the phone I’d be more than happy. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the best
Stuart Bowditch'
The occupants of the house didn’t respond to my letter so I made two recordings down an alley way beside their property. The evening recording only featured traffic noise and aircraft but the morning recording captured a robin and blackbird as well as the drone from the nearby A12 trunk road. With a very small palette of this sound, totalling 29 seconds, I recorded lots of experiments using the Samplr app for iPad, a Teenage Engineering OP1, Meris Ottobit bit crusher and Intensive Care Audio Death Drive distortion pedal. I also invited members of the public to play with the same sounds and kit and you can hear many of their contributions here. To celebrate the end of the residency, together with artist Tom Armstrong who had been working on his residency downstairs, there was an evening performance in the Ballroom upstairs at The Minories, the recording of which you can hear on the first track on this CD.
Many thanks to Emma Howe, Emma Barrow, Francesca Lombardi, volunteers at The Minories and all at the Commons Cafe for making me very welcome and providing a supportive and understanding environment in which to work, experiment, think, talk and make.
Tracklist
| 1. | Evening Performance (Day 7) | 22:05 |
| 2. | Walking Beats (Day 6) | 2:09 |
| 3. | Robin Rhythm (Day 4) | 5:36 |
| 4. | Eva (Day 3) | 4:02 |
| 5. | A12 Drone (Day 3) | 4:08 |
| 6. | Lily and Iris (Day 6) | 5:25 |
| 7. | Blackbird Crush (Day 3) | 6:46 |
| 8. | Amy and Sue (Day 6) | 4:03 |
| 9. | Jevan and Tom (Day 3) | 4:10 |
| 10. | Robin Spring (Day 4) | 5:34 |
| 11. | A12 Drone (Day 4) | 6:48 |
| 12. | London Road, Copford - 7th January 2024 | 10:00 |
Credits
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 & 11 performed by Stuart Bowditch
Tracks 4, 6, 8 & 9 performed by members of the public
Recorded by Stuart Bowditch
Mastered by Ed Rome at Slam Door Studios
License
All rights reserved.Tags
Stuart’s work is inspired by location and the people, experiences and objects he encounters there. He is particularly interested in sounds that are associated with place, overlooked and overheard noises of the everyday and highlighting the auditory as a defining factor in how we experience environment - art installations, phone apps, archival records, music, sound tracks to short films.