METAMORPHOSIS : Collaborative Soundscape
The soundtrack forms part of Metamorphosis (…pathless land…), a collaborative journey which began in 2020 between four artists (two visual artists and two musicians / writers).
Our multidisciplinary process comprises a 2-dimensional Victorian Hang including visual work from all four artists, the soundscape, media work, and a collection of 3-dimensional objects – a ‘cabinet of curiosities’.
The final work is an audio-visual installation; a 30-minute soundtrack, on which all our voices are heard. The soundtrack can be listened to in its entirety, as a meditative experience, in conjunction with the visual images.
The title, ‘…pathless land…’ is a reference to J. Krishnamurti’s famous 1929 speech, Truth is a Pathless Land, in which he rejects the role of spiritual leader or guru.
Our audio-visual work represents our own metamorphosis, individually, and collectively, through the ‘landscape’ of the period 2020 – 2022, sharing ideas in words and pictures on WhatsApp, letting the metamorphosis find its own journey. We focused on four concepts: seed, egg, meander and feminine energy, to represent the potential, process and transformative power of this time, and our ongoing journey through it.
About the soundtrack
The soundtrack (…pathless land…) is a journey in four parts, each of which spiral into the other: a metamorphic journey through our inner landscape during the years 2020 – 2022. The terrain of our journey in sound is in four sections, following the prompting of the four words which were our supports during the creative process.
The four sections explore the four words which were our supports during the creative process: 1. incipit, 2. seed-egg, meander, 3. spirals, 4. Emerging (feminine energy). The opening section is an evocation of an arid landscape, sowing seeds of potential. These incubate (‘egg’) and develop (‘meander’), allowing for nourishing, nurturing and final emergence (feminine energy’).
The majority of the sounds were created and played by Eleanor. Justyna contributed a key theme on the harp, representing journeying, and also the vocalise in Part 4, which is then woven into a duet (Justyna and Eleanor). Ashleigh’s breath and natural sounds and Sylvia’s incantations of our shared words are added to the texture, creating a fully collaborative journey: a tapestry in sound.
Soundtrack composed and edited by Eleanor Dawson.
Complete Soundtrack
The soundtrack as a whole runs for just over 30 minutes, and can be listened to in its entirety, as a meditative experience, in conjunction with the visual images.
Visuals by Ashleigh Downey, Sylvia Hill, Justyna Kosmulska and Eleanor Dawson.
(in order of appearance)
Four sections of the soundtrack as separate tracks
Here the four tracks are available separately : parts 1, 2 and 4 are each 8-9 minutes long – part 3 just over 4 minutes.
Sound-bites
spiralling 
into light 
weaving words 
vocalising
These are small, discrete sections of sound, made up of between 2 and 4 strands of sound. Each is a key moment in the journey through the landscape. They are embedded into the texture of the complete soundtrack. The first three are extracted from Part 3, spirals, and the fourth, vocalising, from Part 4, feminine energy. They are reproduced here (and visually as part of the Victorian hang) in their own ‘space’.
A collaboration between Eleanor Dawson, Ashleigh Downey, Sylvia Hill, & Justyna Kosmulska.
Two musicians, a visual artist, and an ecological artist with a socially engaged practice.
Metamorphosis (…pathless land…)
