Listen to a nostalgic journey through Christmas’s past as we trawl through the archives of found recordings, Christmas messages, carol concerts and audio Christmas cards from distant relatives. << Christmas Rewind << was a six-channel sound installation created for the band stand in Barrow Park, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria in December 2010 and was commisioned by the Octopus Collective. This is a stereo version of the installation audio.
The Silver Smokescreen:
A Silent Film for the Radio
By Vernon & Burns
“When the devil pulls the strings, all the world must dance…”
Constructing an episodic narrative from silent movie intertitles, Vernon and Burns translate grand melodramatic gestures and deadpan pratfall pantomime into the audio realm. Hand-tinted frames of sound, under-cranked audio slapstick and sepia-soaked expressionism for the ear are projected onto the cinema screen of the mind‘s eye.
Produced by Vernon & Burns during a residency at WORM studios, Rotterdam. First performed live as part of ‘Popular Noise for the Masses’, March 2010. First broadcast on Cafe Sonore, VPRO Radio 6, June 12th 2010. Narrated by Giles Bailey.
Vernon & Burns are a duo of sound makers who create radio plays, records and performances through an innovative mix of samples, field recordings, voice and music. Performed across Europe, their eclectic live act encompasses everything from ventriloquism and magic to music hall and comedy. They have produced work for radio stations including the BBC, VPRO, Resonance FM, WFMU and The Audible Picture Show. Recent releases include an LP on Gagarin Records and a CD in Staalplaat’s Mort Aux Vaches series.
A live concert of improvised electronic and sample based music featuring Luke Fowler (Lied Music, Rude Pravo), Barry Burns (Vernon & Burns) and Mark Vernon (Hassle Hound, Vernon & Burns). Sensitive improvised sound collages drowning in a bath of electroacoustic beauty. Le Drapeau Noir, Glasgow, 2nd May 2010.
Hello. If you have made it here you have probably have in your hands a sheet containing a visual representation of our found sound poem. To hear the piece, and follow along, please click on the link below: