Sonic Darts # Ode to the River Wye

Gwaith Swn's Sonic Darts is a London-based sound art collective presenting new sound works, performances and discussions.

In this episode, Dan Linn-Pearl has produced a montage and homage to the river Wye which flows near his home in the border town of Hay. Field recordings, hydrophone capture and improvised synthesiser sketches are broken up with audio from a film made by Friends of the Upper Wye.

This collective has organised a citizen science project to test water pollution levels and seek out solutions to reverse the decline of the river and its wildlife. In recent years, a build up of algae is threatening the ecosystem of the river. Evidence shows an increased amount of nitrates and phosphates in the water.

These are often a waste product of farming and in particular the 'run-off' from the intensive chicken farming which takes place throughout the area. Other potential causes are the increasingly inadequate sewage systems and the 'government policy' which allows raw sewage to be distributed directly into the river. For more information visit: www.fouw.org.uk.