H Ottaway: A New Kind of Requiem

Helen Ottaway: A New Kind of Requiem

Across the world, ceremony and ritual are central to the way in which we engage with death. The Requiem, though originating in the Catholic Church, continues to develop in the hands of composers, becoming increasingly abstracted, secularized, and universally accessible. Over the last few years, following the death of her mother, Helen has been working on sketches towards a new kind of requiem: A participatory work that will combine elements of the choral tradition with sound installation and outdoor art. She started working on this project while on an artists’ residency in South West Sri Lanka, an area devastated by the Asian Tsunami in 2004. She took inspiration from both her personal grief and the catastrophic loss experienced by the community around her, writing personal miniatures for hand cranked musical box and collecting memories and found sounds for a site-specific sound installation. She will describe her first-hand research, her creative process and how new musical forms and methods of presentation can contribute to death rituals in the 21st century. The presentation will include demonstrations of the musical box and sound installation.

Listen to Helen’s soundscape Wave Songs

‘My residency at Hikkaduwa was focussed on loss, grief, memory and a sense of place.  Sounds, words and snatches of melody were  collected and recorded from the environment,  from local people and from fellow artists.  The resulting two-track soundscape draws an imaginary line between the waters of the sea and the inland lagoons reflecting the linear nature of life.”  

If listening on speakers, for best effect position yourself between the two speakers.

Thanks to the following for their contributions:  Priyanthi Pasquel Handi of the Community Tsunami Museum, Peraliya; Lorna Rees; Anders Rigg; Kyna Hodges; Flick Ferdinando; Rae-Yen Song; Chathura Dananjaya; 4R Paper Factory, Wellawattha; Coir Factory, Dodanduwa; Amangalla Hotel, Galle; Sunbeach Hotel Hikkaduwa.

Visit www.artmusic.org.uk and helenottaway.blog for more information. 
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