The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Big Read
The Ancient Mariner Big Read is an inclusive, immersive work of audio and visual art that reflects the sweeping majesty and abiding influence of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 18th-century epic poem. An epic tale of adventure, fear and fascination The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a work of 18th century science fiction that has prophetic messages for the natural world, climate breakdown and mental health globally relevant in the 21st century.
Commissioned by The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth – the project sees Coleridge’s 150-verse poem divided into a series of readings, which were released online over the course of 40 days. Bringing together the contributions of artists, scientists and renowned public figures such as Iggy Pop, Tilda Swinton and Marianne Faithfull. Now complete, the sonic voyage can be experienced as a single symphonic piece, accompanied by a specially-created soundscape.
Sounds were recorded specifically for the project in locations significant to Coleridge’s life. Listeners are transported into the world of the Mariner by virtue of a core sea soundscape, recorded on a restored historical pilot cutter called Olga off the Devon coast. Sounds were captured using ambisonic microphones and encoded for binaural spatial playback. The result is a living piece of sound-art upon which the audio tapestry of voices floats, sinks and swims, giving listeners the sense of being pulled under by the Mariner’s spell.
In addition to the sounds of the Devon coast, the soundscape contains field recordings from around the world, including the sounds of Albatrosses and creaking ice from the Antarctic. Post-recording, raw samples were manipulated to imbue them with a gothic quality. Recorded audio was stretched, re-pitched, distorted and processed, resulting in a nightmarish sound-world that is entirely bespoke.
Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan or, The Whale, winner of the 2009 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize:
“The unique soundscape created by dBs Pro for the Ancient Mariner Big Read is a visceral, storm-tossed, sublime experiment in how a pure soundtrack can not only reflect and compliment the spoken word, but parallel its power. Coleridge’s poem has its own musicality, a kind of 18th century gothic rap; the sounds sourced and created take the experience of the poem to another level.
Reacting to the extreme states invoked by Coleridge - which lurch into his opiated masterpiece - the AMBR soundscape becomes a work of art in itself: elemental, magical, comic, ironic, bitter, restorative. Truly an epic aural evocation of a time-travelling, shape-shifting piece of literature which was just waiting for the digital world to be invented.”
Production Credits:
Curators: Angela Cockayne, Philip Hoare and Sarah Chapman
Soundscape + sound production: Jay Auborn for dBs Pro
Sound engineering and assistant audio production: Ed Shakspeare, Joe Valek, Rafal Bijan, Callum Godfroy, Jared White
and Jacopo Chiari for dBs ProGraphic design + art direction: Nathan Gale, William Hibberd, Trystan Thompson for Intercity
Online editor + digital platform: Christopher Hunt for Controlled Frenzy
Producer: Dawn Melville
Associate producer: Christina Moore
