Rise
Dec 01, 05:41 PM
"The first thing which struck me about the Cemetery Soundscape recording was the understated subtlety. It gave me a sense of peace as I listened; a peace I often find walking around cemeteries and graveyards in the UK. I thought about how cultural links with death has shaped these places and reflected on my own experiences of the death of family members and friends and feelings of grief and sorrow.
"It got me thinking about rituals of death and cultural ways of saying farewell to loved ones following their passing. I thought of the Zoroastrian tradition of exposing the body to the sun and birds of prey, the Ghats of Varanasi, Ancient Egyptian traditions found within the Book of the Dead or Western rituals of funeral, burial and cremation. The belief that these customs would prepare the soul for the next life and the associated importance of reincarnation and rebirth.
"Whilst using the ‘Cemetery Soundscape’ recording as a constant backdrop, ‘Rise’ focusses on these death rituals and the comfort they offer, along with the hope that the dead find a ‘better’ place as they ascend to the heavens."
Indonesian cemetery soundscape reimagined by Simon Holmes.
"It got me thinking about rituals of death and cultural ways of saying farewell to loved ones following their passing. I thought of the Zoroastrian tradition of exposing the body to the sun and birds of prey, the Ghats of Varanasi, Ancient Egyptian traditions found within the Book of the Dead or Western rituals of funeral, burial and cremation. The belief that these customs would prepare the soul for the next life and the associated importance of reincarnation and rebirth.
"Whilst using the ‘Cemetery Soundscape’ recording as a constant backdrop, ‘Rise’ focusses on these death rituals and the comfort they offer, along with the hope that the dead find a ‘better’ place as they ascend to the heavens."
Indonesian cemetery soundscape reimagined by Simon Holmes.