Neuro Windows
Commission by Wild Rumpus
Commissioned for Hinterlands Film Festival in Skipton, Neuro Windows was created in response to a series of soundscapes taken by local residents during day to day activities in the town centre. Featuring soundscapes such as babbling rivers, bustling high streets, medieval live action role playing and birdsong, i chose to respond to a recording of a choir practice taking place in Skipton Castle. Focussing on my visual responses to song through the neurological condition Synesthesia, i interpreted these images into drawings on a timeline for the song. I listened to the song over and over to find the emphasis points in the music which produced the brightest and boldest shapes and colours and illustrated them into a storyboard, which i then used as inspiration to create a stained class window for the commission.
The location for the installation was briefed as being incorporated into a ginnel on Skipton High Street. Choosing a ginnel in a busy location called Hallam’s Yard, we considered how light could be incorporated into the design so that, like a stained glass window, light would emphasise the vibrant colours and shapes.
After the dimensions and location considerations were implemented into the design, production began on creating the installation. An emphasis on the commission was to use reused and found materials to create the artwork. Having the focus on creating work with sustainable resources is always a consideration that I take when thinking about new works, and thankfully this project was a perfect chance to fully implement this into practice. Using reclaimed timber, reused fixings and screws, leftover epoxy resin, pigments and enamel paints from previous projects and plastic bottles and tubs, I created ‘stained glass’ panels which were suspended above head height and lit from above. The installation was shown alongside the sound of the choir singing and provided an audio and visual experience which could be experienced day and night in an unsuspecting and otherwise usual ginnel.
Emma Denby 