The idea behind ‘Sacred Spaces’, Marvin Ayres's latest project, is to use incongruous places for composition and performance and reawaken the inherent and/or dormant spirit residing in these unlikely locations. “Pilgrims in search of sonic beauty”. These include anything from derelict industrial sites to historical places of interest, (incorporating National Trust and English Heritage ) and re-appropriating them for musical purposes.
‘Sacred Spaces’ is an ongoing and evolving project with recordings in different environments. The instruments will be randomly tuned to compliment the environments, and microphones will be used to pick up the full ambience of the spaces once excited by the cellos, violins and violas.
One element which will link all the locations will be the same series of notes which will be assembled to create one collective piece composed from the overtones, sustains and reverberations recorded in each environment.
The intention is to return to some of the locations at a later stage to perform the compositions that were inspired by and recorded there.
To accompany these journeys, the project will be documented with a film diary.
Marvin Ayres is a British modern-classical composer, cellist, violinist, pianist and producer. He has composed and recorded a diverse selection of minimalist albums, incorporating spatial soundscapes and psycho-acoustics and latterly 5.1 and True 3D Surround in the ‘Wall Of Waves’ Studio.
Marvin will be recording in the north transept on 24 february, and will be exhibiting a 9.1 surround sound installation of the recording in the same part of the cathedral at some point next year in collaboration with Illustrious.
Two more locations are confirmed for March and April: Concorde at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, and The Big Pit coal mine in Wales. More details to follow.
