Soundscapes // 2022

A soundscape based on the history and ecology of King’s Lynn

Try this town-scale public art experience in King’s Lynn, co-created by the young people of the town.

Visit the 15 MANIFESTO* soundscapes around town to experience the history and ecology of King’s Lynn in sound. The soundscapes were created by the young people of West Norfolk using everyday objects and cutting edge audio technologies, and reflect their responses to their future in relation to climate change.

To enjoy this amazing artwork:

INSTALL THE ECHOES: interactive GPS-triggered sound walks APP onto an Android or Apple device from the app store of your choice.
FIND THE MANIFESTO* soundscapes. Use the search function within the Echoes App.
DOWNLOAD OR STREAM the soundscapes – streaming may incurr data charges, depending on your tariff. To avoid this, download at home or anywhere with free wifi.
ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE! When you are in the centre of King’s Lynn – anywhere between the River Great Ouse, The Walks Park, The Train Station and the Docks, press START WALK to activate the audio walk. As you enter different areas, or zones, the Echoes App will play a sound-file based on the historical and ecological significance of that area.

Echoes is usually used to play a narrated guided tour. It works by geo-locating the position of your phone and then playing a sound-file appropriate to your position. We’ve used Echoes for an innovative arts project. Rather than give you a guided tour, we’ve created a soundscape based on the history and ecology of King’s Lynn with one eye on the future and a particular focus on climate change and the young people who must face and deal with this issue.

During the MANIFESTO* project we worked with young people to create a climate change manifesto for the town, engaging with a range of artists and experts to inform the process. John Kramarchuk, a composer, sound artist, sound engineer and musician was commissioned to lead Soundscapes project, which became part of the overall project. He worked with a group of young people based in West Norfolk to create soundscapes using everyday objects and cutting edge audio technologies to reflect their responses to their future in relation to climate change. As a result 15 MANIFESTO* soundscapes were created, which could be experienced by people around the town, incorporating the history and ecology of King’s Lynn in sound.

MANIFESTO* Live!, a flash mob and show, included a performance by John Kramarchuk and the young people who worked on Soundscapes.

The delivery partners for MANIFESTO were Arts Council England, the New Anglia LEP, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Norfolk County Council, and PEACH West Norfolk.

Artists

Producers

Rachel Drury & Rich Hall, Producers

Liam Roberts Associate Producer

Savannah Andrews, Assistant Producer

Natalie Whitney, Assistant Producer

Creative Team

John Kramarchuk , Supporting Artist: Sound Artist

Klanghaus Neutrinos: Karen Reilly, Mark Howe & Jonathan Baker, Lead Artists

David Escott, Filmmaker