Soundtext Anthology

Soundtext was a course run in the Spring Term of 2020 for the Poetry School. The course sought to push the boundaries of possibility in terms of sound and text. Our hypothesis: what can an artist create when they approach text from the ends of sound, and sound from the ends of text?

We have undergone many experiments on the course, guided by the following movements: ‘Object Dialogue/Event Dialogue’, ‘Cosmos of the Lounge/Intimacy of the Vista’, ‘Velocity Studies’, and ‘Vehicles for the Voice’. Each movement prompted the artists to experiment with both sound and text creation, as well as guiding principles on manipulation and editing the audio. Every submission throughout was a discovery, an invention, an experience.

We have crafted an anthology to showcase the material created over the course because each artist shaped such innovative and genre-pushing content. This also acts as a celebration of an artistic group who came together through the disruption of the pandemic and showed up each week to listen and explore with each other. It has been a privilege to teach this course and have my own principles on sound and text widened.

– Antosh Wojcik, ‘Soundtext’ course tutor.

This Soundtext anthology is curated into 4 movements; think of them as chapters of theme and intent.

‘Primal’ collects soundtexts: ‘Primary’ by Helen Maurer, ‘UGH’ by Pete The Temp & ‘LALÉO’ by Melissa Silva.

‘Close’ collects soundtexts: ‘Oral Complex’ by Maya Chowdhry, ‘Teething’ by Maeve Slattery & ‘John Travolta’s first film turned me into a trapeze artist’ by Tice Cin.

‘Labours’ collects soundtexts: ‘CARE’ by Benjamin Cusden, ‘quiet type’ by Tice Cin & ‘Why Haven’t I Learnt To Walk’ by Janet Chan.

‘Without’ collects soundtexts: ‘Concrete Waterfall’ by Kat Dixon, ‘Climate’ by Pete The Temp, ‘ThreeTwoZeroZeroZeroZero’ by Benjamin Cusden.