Hearing things

This morning the first artwork for groving 2022, on the theme Relic, was placed in the rose garden in the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds. The first work, and the first sound piece we have had in groving. The work is by Stuart Bowditch and the written response is by Urve Opik. 

Peal Press

A modest thumb’s worth, a full round
netsuke, smoothly toggling the invisible
strike and clamour of metallic sound
into binary code.  Memento Digital

of pull and swing, pressed into zero/one.
A caught phrase, a meme for void and spire
mutter-full of dusty prayer, flinging open
centuries of vaulted, buttressed air.

Gusts of chimes handed up the ropes
and down the years, poise, ardently intent
to make a reliquary of your palm, their notes
will sound or mute by click of your consent.

Urve Opik

Stuart Bowditch is an artist, musician and field recordist. His practice focuses on places and communities that exist on the fringes, both geographically and socially, with a particular interest in the sonic landscape, capturing overlooked and overheard noises and using sound as a documentative and creative medium. His sound recordings of people, their activities, experiences and environs have contributed to art installations, phone apps, archival records, radio broadcasts, podcasts, dance performances, public consultation events, musical compositions, a computer game, a eulogy and sound tracks to short films. www.stuartbowditch.co.uk [email protected] Instagram @bowditchstuart Twitter @stuartbowditch

Urve Opik is of Estonian heritage, grew up in Northern Ireland and lives in London. She studied art history at Manchester University and the Courtauld and worked for many years as an Arts Administrator. She became increasingly interested in the life psychotherapeutic in the late 1990s, retrained, and now practices as a psychotherapist. She retains a deep interest in the visual arts and weaves a writing practise through it all.