TURNING THE PAGE
Intimate interactive experience where the sounds of foreign climes come to life every time to you turn the page
We collaborated with Professor Tim Cole, from the Department of History at University of Bristol, on this REACT funded project to research the marks left in old guidebooks and the stories they tell.
Imagine if your well-thumbed, outdated guide book could talk. Think of the stories it would tell about the places it’s been, the characters encountered and narrow escapes along the way. When we read a book, do we leave something of ourselves in and on its pages?
This project was funded by the REACT Knowledge Exchange Hub for the Creative Economy. REACT was a collaboration led by UWE Bristol (the University of the West of England), Watershed and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Its purpose was to encourage academics and creative companies to work together.
During the research phase, we explored marginalia, and questions about how books act as repositories of treasures and triggers of memories. The installation included audio recordings made by Naomi Said gathered on a trip to China in 2012. It was showcased at Bristol Library during MayFest 2013, and toured to a number of other events and festivals.
“If only all holiday snaps could now be outlawed and this be the way friends and family tell you about the brilliant experiences they have had in foreign climes.”
We continued to develop this project, with support from REACT, and it evolved into a new company called Mayfly Sound, which we setup with Professor Tim Cole in 2016. Mayfly allows you to record your own sounds using a bespoke app, and attach them to a set of beautiful illustrations printed into notebooks and onto stickers. To find out more follow the link below.
Collaborators
Professor Tim Cole - academic
Naomi Said - audio recordings
Jo Lathwood - fabricator
Dan Williams - creative technician
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