SOLACE
[Sol-is] noun
1.Comfort in sorrow, misfortune, or trouble; alleviation of distress or discomfort.
2. Something that gives comfort, consolation or relief.
‘SOLACE’ used the processes and methodologies established in this pilot project to further explore a community based response to the Covid 19 Pandemic in Birr. The project is a visual and aural study of the social impact of an unprecedented moment in time.
Solace Soundscape
Background: In 2019 I undertook a project, ‘Sounds’ at Clara Day Care Centre exploring the theory and application of, ‘Psychoacoustics’ participants explored their own personal narratives and social identities through sound and the development of individual soundscapes and the diverse, powerful experiences attached to and aroused by sound. In developing both individual and group, ‘SoundVoices’ the participants selected a variety of themes to investigate aurally. The was initially done verbally before moving on to using photographs, digital processes such as the Armchair Gallery App, developing skills in sound making and capturing using tablets.
Interview with Emma nee Haslam
The Solace series is a collection of interviews that are part of the Solace project. This one with Emma Nee Haslam, Manager of Birr Theatre and Arts Centre is the first in the series.
Solace is an Anam Beo Artist in the Community Project supported by the Dublin Mid-Leinster and Offaly County Council Arts Office. Solace was a community-based response to the Covid 19 Pandemic in Birr. The project was a visual and sound study of the social impact of an unprecedented moment in time.
SoundVoices
“Psychoacoustics is essentially the study of the perception of sound. This includes how we listen, our psychological responses, and the physiological impact of music and sound on the human nervous system. In the realm of psychoacoustics, the terms music, sound, frequency, and vibration are interchangeable, because they are different approximations of the same essence. The study of psychoacoustics dissects the listening experience.” Joshua Leeds
‘I’ve really come out of myself, since I started this.‘
Alongside traditional painting and drawing, more experimental creative processes have been explored during the year and further developed. Engaging with the theory and application of, ‘Psychoacoustics’, participants have explored their own personal narratives and social identities through sound and the development of individual soundscapes and the diverse, powerful experiences attached to and aroused by sound. We used a 2009 report from Sweden’s Lund University which puts forward six psychological mechanisms, through which emotions may be produced when the brain reacts to sound. We subsequently explored these mechanisms in relation to sound memories, sounds that are heard most daily, sounds that would like to be experienced again and conversely, those which might be to painful to bring back. In developing both individual and group, ‘Sound voices’ the participants selected a variety of themes to investigate aurally. The was initially done verbally before moving on to using photographs, digital processes such as the Armchair Gallery App and further developing skills in sound making and capturing using tablets.