Echolocation

Outdoor Culture's first music event took place at BBOWT's Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire this month. Over two nights, 'Echolocation' was a twilight walk by the Thames featuring sound installations by Robert Jarvis, and was co-promoted by Oxford Contemporary Music.

60 local children came to the reserve a fortnight before the gig, to learn about the ecology of the site and listen to its soundscape. Robert helped them compose two pieces that we installed for the public show - one inspired by badger calls and the other by slowed-down birdsong.

More than 50 of the children had never been to the nature reserve before, despite living in the nearest villages. The site is beautiful - wetlands, riverbank and wildflower meadows re-seeded only this decade in one of Europe's largest arable reversion projects.

The Outdoor Culture mobile production office.

The Friday of the first show brought some freaky weather. At 9am I was laying power cable round the edge of the field while hailstones crashed around me. By 2pm I'd bent a pole on a borrowed shelter, and the high winds had crumpled a gazebo and blown a stage weight into the river. Robert fished it out with a boat hook.

The winds dropped and the skies cleared to blue before the audience arrived at 8pm, and as the sun set a golden moon rose behind the river. People milled around the tea tent and strolled between the installations. Children made bat masks, gathered natural treasures and listened to stories.

We gathered by the river after dark for the live performance of 'Echolocation', as Robert's electronica began to be triggered by the ultrasound of bats emerging to hunt.

'The main piece itself was haunting, in an incredibly beautiful location'

'The sounds were beautiful and there was a real sense of marvel'

'The lighting of the tree across the river, where the music took place, was magical'

'a memorable, inspiring and touching piece of work that connects profoundly ... and encourages much thought and reflection'

'It was a magic evening, with so many small touches'

'A really unusual and interesting evening'

'All the various activities led up well to the bat music. All in all, a great evening!'

'...unlike anything I have seen or heard of before'

By midnight on the second night, we'd packed up all the sound systems and the lighting, and the audience and crew had all gone home. I sat up outside my tent watching the moon arc over the trees.

Outdoor Culture is grateful to the PRS Foundation for new music for supporting this event.