Wirral-born Malcolm Lowry’s collection of short stories Hear Us O Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place (titled after a Manx fishermen’s hymn) has inspired a group of artists, environmentalists, retired sea captains and poets to explore the ongoing relevance of this writing in relation to increased care of our oceans. Meeting only at sea between Liverpool and the Isle of Man, the network hopes to develop a new audio vocabulary for thinking about the plastics in our seas and food chains through sound compositions that possibly trigger new responses to the situation.
This first composition, entitled Hear Us Salvage Pilot brings together recordings from sailings between Liverpool and Isle of Man in September 2021, beginning with naively trying to explain the problem to a five-year-old whilst playing Lego, before floating through orcas recorded in Telegraph Cove near Vancouver, the Isle of Man Beach Buddies, readings from Lowry’s texts and his use of Frere Jacques as a refrain that echoes the ship’s engine, visions of impending capitalist ruination of the oceans, instructions for emergencies, Maccy-D’s litter, Fluxus Drip Music, superheroes vs everybody, Traa-dy-liooar (Manx for ‘time enough’), and the concept of salvage – what can or cannot be saved.
Alan Dunn (31 October 2021)
