Sonic artwork ‘Clarion Call’ was performed as part of the Spill Festival, Ipswich 2018. This hauntingly beautiful large-scale sound work was broadcast around Ipswich Waterfront at dusk during the 11 days of the Spill Festival.
Please excuse my wobbly video skills and the occasional breakthrough traffic sounds, but it was an experience worthy of capture and sharing. It lasted for 11 minutes, but despite trying on several different days I only managed two or three minute chunks before a lorry, ambulance or helicopter disturbed the atmospheric impression.
From the banks of large speakers atop several buildings around the Waterfront the sounds were transmitted across the water and up into the town centre with parts of the recording heard as far away as the Old Cemetery.
‘Clarion Call’ has been part of Ipswich’s commemorations of the First World War centenary using voice and sounds of the emergency sirens. The work evolved from considering the experiences of the town’s womenfolk when many of the local men went off overseas to war and never returned.
‘Clarion Call’ has been devised as part of the 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary. It has been created by artists Byron J Scullin, Hannah Fox and Thomas Supple with performance contributions from Beth Gibbons (Portishead), Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), girls from Copleston School, Wattisham Military Wives Choir, South Street Kids amongst other individuals and choirs.
(There is also a longer, two and half minute clip on my Vimeo page, but my iPhone video skills are, as I already mentioned, very poor and the swinging around of the visuals gives me a touch of seasickness! However, it is worth a listen you just need to keep your eyes shut. 😌)
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Agnes Ashe 
Well, I think you are very clever to record those sounds and provide scenery to look at. It must have been most impressive.
Recording wasn’t technically difficult, but all the extraneous noises were very annoying. I guess that is to be expected with an outdoor broadcast covering such a large area.
This is haunting and evocative. So glad I looked at your longer video too. There has been some very moving stuff created for this act of remembrance: this is certainly an original voice.
Yes, I think it was trying to give people the opportunity to pause and reflect from within an experience as opposed to the ‘look at’ something, once removed quality we are so used to.
I think it must have achieved that aim. Even ‘second hand’ it seemed to work very well.
You know not everyone appreciated it. One man used a megaphone from a balcony down on the Waterfront to protest and disrupt more than one broadcast. I couldn’t find out what his problem was, but he certainly upset people who felt he was being extremely disrespectful.
Indeed. There are more appropriate ways to protest, though I don’t know what his problem was.
Not sure anyone did. The organisers of Spill Festival were pretty upset and the police were involved too in an attempt to stop him.
As Margaret commented, this is a very original remembrance. I found it very haunting.
It was very special sadly I only managed to capture a small section. As I replied to Margaret, I think it was trying to give people the opportunity to pause and reflect from within an experience as opposed to the ‘look at’ something, once removed quality we are so used to.
Well I agree with Margaret that you did that very well.
Ah thanks.