Fragments of Lost Rivers’, is an ongoing artistic project initiated by artist John Holt who commissioned musician Alex Monk to construct a sound work as part of a ceramic installation. Ultimately developing into a multi-media outcome (sound/film/sculptural forms), ‘Fragments’ is to be presented as a large scale experience within a structured environment in the formation of a labyrinth or maze defined by hundreds of ceramic fragments forming a labyrinthine walkway leading to a visual core of film by Annabel McCourt. Monk’s accompanying audio ‘fragments’ include field recordings from the River Thames, River Lea, Phong Nha cave, Vietnam and vocals by Alex Monk & Serenella Noseda.
The work raises issues of our environment and the significance that nature has in informing and symbolizing our mythic understanding of our lives. It looks at questions of how we treat the earth and particularly the water upon which we all so deeply depend.
‘Fragments of Lost Rivers’ touches the deepest levels in us all of our image and symbol making propensities. It questions the ‘scientific’ approach to time, measurement and truth making and questions the loss of our beautiful rivers; sources of so many civilizations and cultures, revered by so many and yet sometimes forgotten.
REVIEW:
Musician and composer Alex Monk has created a small but beautiful body of work focusing on sound and song as a means to evoke particular moods and memories using both electronics and organic instrumentation, often manipulating or using the voice as an instrument in itself. His new release, 'Fragments of Lost Rivers', is a part of a multi media project, the audio element of a installation piece of sound, film and sculptural forms that will ultimately contain ceramic fragments creating a labyrinth or maze. Monk writes that 'the work raises issues of our environment and the significance that nature has in informing and symbolizing our mythic understanding of our lives. It looks at questions of how we treat the earth and particularly the water upon which we all so deeply depend.' Using field recordings of rivers from as far apart as the Thames in Monk's native London and the Phong Nha cave in Vietnam, this is a very special and heartfelt album indeed; a document of natural beauty and surging life force in both rural and urban settings. Reminiscent of singer Rob St. John's 'Water Of Life' project in its musical intention to convey the elements of nature through sound, this is a work that is thought provoking, sensual and, quite frankly, essential listening.
The piece begins with birdsong and the sound of a river flowing, a rustic gentleness which then merges into a delicate acoustic guitar melody filled with both wistful melancholy and warm nostalgia. The notes are crystalline, passing by like the water that inspired the work; timeless and endless. This is not ambient music however but music for the foreground, to focus on and immerse yourself in. As this segment fades into the ether, keyboards enter alongside windchimes and harmonised vocals, reminding this listener of some of the mood soundscapes of Nick Grey. It is as if we have reached a point where the water is rushing by, foaming, powerful and urgent. The sound resounds across and between the speakers until a solitary and beautifully sad, stately drone enters accompanied by Serenella Noseda's ethereal vocals. Otherworldly and yet familiar, this speaks of nature as both wild and unknown and yet also integral and a part of who we are. The sound echoes and reverberates; backwards tapes glide across the waves of vocals and strings until we are left with just Noseda's haunting voice; an elegy to the life force in our rivers and seas. This music is symbolic; just as water and our rivers are symbolized or used as a metaphor to demonstrate significant meanings in our lives, here the music utilizes the roar and force of this water or the splashing and flow to illustrate and introduce each segment of the piece itself. A buzzing, eastern hum fades in from one such field recording, growing in volume and revealing hidden layers and harmonies as it winds and channels its way ever forwards. Analogue synth joins this flow, wave upon wave of electronic layers building until there is a symphony of sound both utterly affecting and uplifting. The birdsong then returns to signify the ultimate finale of the journey, the river's end.
An ambitious, moving and inspiring piece that is quite unlike anything else you will hear, 'Fragments of Lost Rivers' comes highly recommended. Enter the water, submerge yourself and see where the river takes you. Available now as a download or as a limited edition (100 copies) CD that is a piece of art in itself.
Alex Monk is a musician and producer based in London. He uses the structure of song to convey a range of emotions and
moods,combined with a spirit that allows sounds and melodies to evolve through the essence of the moment. Live performances lend themselves to a range of sound sources and instruments though the voice often lies at the centre; sometimes employed only as an instrument itself....more
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