siren
A Bookscape

by Alec Finlay and Chris Watson

One of the most original uses for a Tim Buckley/Larry Beckett song was realized in 2006. when a multi-media art piece called siren was conceived and executed by Alec Finlay and Chris Watson.

‘here I am, here I am, waiting to hold you’ – Tim Buckley

Alec's original concept for siren was to take the refrain from Tim Buckley’s

metaphysical love song ‘Song to the Siren’ (Starsailor, 1971) and have this sung by a man and a woman in separate places. They are invited to sing deep into the refrain until it becomes a litany.

Later Finlay became interested in field recordings of the natural environment, with their decentred experience of sound. He has collaborated with Chris Watson to record siren, sung by Clive Powell and Maria Jardardottir. The recordings took place at dawn on two piers in the harbour of a North East English coastal village.

Siren was published in March 2006 as the forth in the series of bookscapes publications which combine audio, book, web and digital animation to reflect our contemporary extended experience of reading.

siren can be previewed and purchased at Alec Finlay's website

Below is a short audio clip. Still photographs by Michele Allen

Documentation of the recording
Photographs by Michele Allen © 2005
Video footage by Ben Ponton (amino)
Edited by Laura Harrington
22 August, 2005

Audio extract © Alec Finlay, Chris Watson 2006
Sound Composition © Chris Watson 2006

Links
www.chriswatson.net
www.touchmusic.org.uk
www.maria-jardardottir.com
www.amino.org.uk