CULTURE NIGHT

"RIVERRUN" 

“RIVERRUN “   Danny McCarthy

A soundwalk on the banks of the Owenacurra River.

Conceived originally as part of “World Listening Day” the international festival of listening the artist has reimagined a soundwalk along the banks of the Owenacurra River in Market Green, Midleton for an Autumnal evening walk on Culture Night.

The public are invited to stroll along the banks of the river stopping at various appointed “Listening Points” and savour the various sounds of the river, observing the different sounds of the water and how it varies from point to point. The Listening Points will have signage and illumination for those wishing to walk after dark.

In 2020 we were forced to pause by an invisible virus. This brought countless consequences to the environment, and to the sonic environment in particular. New acoustic horizons emerged, signaling times of unquietness and global change, and requiring our listening awareness to evolve.

This piece forms part of the World Forum For Acoustic Ecology (WFAE) theme for 2021 “The Unquiet Earth” is an invitation to reflect on and engage with the constant murmur of the Earth, sounds beyond the threshold of human hearing, to remind ourselves that we share this mysterious and awesome planet. Small, hidden, subterranean, aerial, underwater, infra- and ultrasonic sounds, inaudible to the naked ear, can bring a new, potentially hopeful, perspective on the future of the planet and humanity. Listening as activism encourages us to question our attitudes as listeners as we aim to construct a more inclusive and empathetic new world.

The work is supported by The Arts Council, Cork County Council and Culture Night and it forms part of Midleton Arts Festival Culture Night events. https://midletonartsfestival.com/