Sounding the Minutiae and Hamlet.
A Pilgrimage to Record the Smaller Flora at the Dawning of Summer on the Mosses.
I feel so lucky to have recently seen what was a breathtaking production of Hamlet by the RSC, with Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief performed live as the soundtrack. Everything about it was deeply inspiring, from the performance of Radiohead’s music and the extra music and arrangements by Thom Yorke, to the brilliant stage setup, acting, and choreography. One moment in particular stood out for me, where intermittent glitching electronic sounds filled the silence and darkness on the stage (possibly a sample of this part in R’head’s The Gloaming tune), which led me back to the mosses, to continue to explore the biosonification of Sphagnum Moss and signal break up from the resulting electronic beats.
The above audio is an unedited sample of the Moss going through the Biodata kit and Korg Synth on location at Whixall Moss, July 23rd, 2025.
The last few stems of Common Cotton grass, moving in the breeze, as we move into Summer on the mosses, July 23rd, 2025.
I took the opportunity during the dawning of this new summer season on the mosses to document flora on my iPhone with my loupe over the lens. Although not photographically perfect, I find placing a loupe over the iPhone works to get interesting up-close shots of some of the smallest plants, including the beautiful carnivorous Sundew, top right below:
On Monday, I took these recordings back into the studio, beginning to explore a more granular noisy version of the above Sphagnum Moss sonification. I started by applying various effects before landing on the sound that felt most appropriate. I loved the resulting sound (below), which interestingly feels perfect for this hidden mass of conductivity in the vast carpets of Sphagnum moss:
The above edited audio from the first audio take above, adding grain and noise in the studio to the Sphagnum sonification sample, July 30th, 2025.
Following this, I returned to a staple Tiny Leaves instrument, adding Piano accompaniment and trying different melodic phrases to evoke something of the wonder of this plant and its vital role in carbon capture. I was surprised by how the piano chords in the clip below completely changed the feel of the piece when played as a six-note motif in the same key (played similarly to Face to Face), which I am currently recording and bringing together.
Accompanying a soundscape after the Sphagnum moss intro on Piano, July 30th, 2025.
For my next visit, I’m going to see if I can use hair-like electrodes and sensitive microphones to record audio from the carnivorous Sundew as it captures and digests its prey. I’ll need wellies, longer cables, and possibly magnifying glasses to get right into the bog and up close in patches like the one below!
