Can You Hear Me? is a response to the Sound Mirrors of Denge - a former Royal Air Force site near Dungeness, in Kent. It is best known for the early experimental acoustic mirrors which remain there.
These silent concrete structures are surrounded by water, living in isolation. Their concrete walls speak volumes of their past and present. Using photography and mixed media the language of the walls are echoed by each other as I explore the feelings of isolation and loneliness as well as a connection to my surroundings. Each books combines photography, stitch, mono, photo-litho and collograph printing.
In the first video, photography and mixed media printing intertwine with each other.
It was important to me that I used my initial photographs and let them interplay with the prints I had created. I explored watery effects on a gel plate, mono printing and photo lithography- which lent themselves beautifully to the structure of the Sound Mirrors. I also explored the more abstract approach using home-made collograph plates which again reflected the interplay between the water, the structures and the marks created in the concrete.
These are the individual pages.
This tiny book was the first one I made for the series ‘Can You Hear Me?’ I wanted to explore the connection between the water, creating an island around the Listening Ears, and the silent textural quality of the concrete structures. I like the idea that I can add to this book when I want to, a place to add marks and notes should I visit again… or maybe its empty pages are just fine as they are.
The video below is the second book I made for the series ‘Can You Hear Me?’ I explored further the connection between the water around the Listening Ears, isolating them from the outside world. The lapping of the water echoes the idea of the sound waves that would have once played their part when the listening ears were operational. It seems ironic that radar was soon invented after their completion so they quickly became redundant. I used different types of printing to echo the feeling of water as well as the textures and the markings on the giant concrete structures.
These are the individual pages.
I’ve been thinking how to bring my Listening Ears project to a conclusion. I wanted to incorporate a reference to the concrete structures this time. Having stumbled across a blog by Sarah Grace Dye I was inspired to create my final book that transforms into my own sound mirrors. The ‘pages’ of the book are created from the water prints on the outside and the wall textures on the inside. I hope you have enjoyed my series of books called Can You Hear Me? The music is called Solitary Island and perfectly sums up this piece of work.
These are the contents.
