{"id":21870,"title":"With Mermaids (It is Darkest Before Dawn) or Med Selkies (Det \u00e4r som m\u00f6rkast innan gryningen)","description":"With Mermaids or Med Selkies are the truncated titles of an audio-visual project by sound artist and electro acoustic music composer and writer Kelly Ann Buckley, artist name K-A-B currently showing on Focal Point Gallery's BIG SCREEN as part of the associated programme of its main show, Receiver.","content":"<p>EDIT UPDATE (Wednesday May 28, 2025): Med Selkies was selected to be screened at the Experimental, Music and Dance Film Festival &amp; WildSound Festival in Toronto Canada in May 2025.  It won BEST SOUND &amp; MUSIC as part of the Experimental, Music and Dance Film category.<br \/><br \/>Kelly<\/p><div data-youtube-video=\"\"><iframe class=\"youtube\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TtIBI4c62iQ\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><\/p><h3><strong><u>Med Selkies : Interpretation<\/u><\/strong><\/h3><p><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">The poem opens with the Old Norse phrase \"Sjaldan er ein b\u00e1ran st\u00f6k,\" meaning \"There seldom is a single wave,\" suggesting the interconnectedness of all things in nature. The speaker reflects on the passage of time (\"Dagr...\") and their serene experience of floating in the ocean, surrounded by sunlight.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">As the poem progresses, the speaker experiences a sense of calmness amidst personal turmoil, symbolised by the upheaval in their life (\"Home ravaged, deceased, yet I am calm\"). This calm is disrupted by a surge of power (\"Rikr!\"), pulling the speaker into the depths of the ocean, where they encounter their ancestral spirits.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">The lines referencing the aquatic ape theory\/mermaids evoke a sense of wonder and connection to humanity's evolutionary past. The speaker feels a kinship with these beings, who represent a harmonious coexistence with the ocean, contrasting with humanity's destructive impact on the environment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">However, the poem takes a darker turn as the speaker witnesses the devastation wrought by human actions on the earth across the ages, symbolised by the Latin phrases \"Dies irae\" and \"Morior Invictus.\" The imagery of coral skeletons and synthetic ecosystems highlights the irreversible damage caused by human greed and negligence.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">The speaker's anguish deepens as they witness the suffering of their ancestral spirits and the encroachment of plastic-born monsters devouring the ocean. The Latin phrase \"Veni. Vidi. Vici.\" reflects humanity's conquest and exploitation of the natural world, leading to a moment of reckoning and reflection for the speaker. In particular, the poem highlights the consequences of scientists' attempts to correct their mistakes by developing plastic-eating microbes. These microbes, once released into the environment, have grown uncontrollable, morphing into monstrous entities that threaten all life in the ocean, including humans. The phrase \"Veni. Vidi. Vici.\" underscores humanity's hubris in attempting to manipulate natural evolution, resulting in unforeseen and catastrophic consequences.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-family:UICTFontTextStyleBody;\">As the speaker emerges from the depths, gasping for air, they confront the harsh reality of humanity's impact on the earth. The final plea for awareness and action (\"But who will listen?\") echoes the urgent need to address the environmental crisis before it's too late.<\/span><\/p><h3><u>MED SELKIES : FOCAL POINT GALLERY ARCHIVE<\/u><\/h3><p><\/p><p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fpg.org.uk\/exhibition\/big-screen-southend-associate-programme-appau-jnr-boayke-yiadom-kelly-ann-buckley-frazer-merrick-nastassja-simensky\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.fpg.org.uk\/exhibition\/big-screen-southend-associate-programme-appau-jnr-boayke-yiadom-kelly-ann-buckley-frazer-merrick-nastassja-simensky\/<\/a><\/p><p><\/p><p><u>IN MY OWN WORDS: THE STORY BEHIND THE \u2018MED SELKIES\u2019 SOUNDSCAPE AND POEM - By Kelly Ann Buckley, October 20, 2022<\/u><\/p><p>\u201cThis project began as a live soundscape performance at the Control Voltage\/Focal Point Gallery experimental music and FPG Sounds show in February 2022. Titled \u2018With Mermaids\u2019, the performance involved live sampling, looping, and adding effects to water, along with voice and instrumentation. It was an expansion of Part 5 of my Echoes in the Fossils project, exploring lost and reimagined soundscape ecology from Mesolithic times to the Anthropocene.<\/p><p>In Part 5 of Echoes In The Fossils, titled \u2018After the Anthropocene\u2019, I created a composition accompanied by AI-produced moving images, depicting sounds recorded along shorelines threatened by rising sea levels. In \u2018With Mermaids\u2019, I further imagined human adaptation after sea level rise, drawing inspiration from the Aquatic Ape Theory and the idea of a lost civilisation like Doggerland.<\/p><p><\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/1eqno3ubuweiakvyettctjvukni6f74v1cazxneaortf0iow.jpg\" alt=\"1eqno3ubuweiakvyettctjvukni6f74v1cazxneaortf0iow.jpg\" \/>Considering the implications of plastic pollution and the discovery of microplastics inside humans, I speculated on the potential evolution of plastic-eating microbes and their impact on humanity. This led to the creation of a poetic storyline, which I wanted to combine with the soundscape and moving images.<\/p><p>Seeking professional input, I enlisted the help of screenwriter and English teacher Tom Keenan to edit and enhance the poem, incorporating Old Norse and Latin as metaphors for past epochs of human dominance over the earth. The final piece, \u2018With Mermaids (It is Darkest Before Dawn)\u2019 or \u2018Med Selkies (Det \u00e4r som m\u00f6rkast innan gryningen)\u2019, blends reality, mythology, and metaphysics.<\/p><p>With the support of Focal Point Gallery, particularly curator James Ravinet, the work was included in the Big Screen program, running alongside the Receiver show focused on sound work until December 23.\u201d<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/oo31zqwxqxujyc3tzlxyqt6qa1sk8cacf2yfll5y7o8arbzw.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" alt=\"oo31zqwxqxujyc3tzlxyqt6qa1sk8cacf2yfll5y7o8arbzw.jpg.jpg?w=1140&amp;v=2\" \/><\/p><p><u>THE MAKING OF THE SOUNDSCAPE<\/u><\/p><p>\u201cThe soundscape was initially created live on stage, where I used a hydrophone in a fish bowl of water and added effects whilst swirling and dripping it. I also looped the sound of the splashing using an on stage directional mic, also adding vox and building up other kinds of instrumentation and pre recorded samples I\u2019d created, live launching and looping everything on stage.<\/p><p>I developed the piece in the studio adding plenty of recordings of the sea and waves. I also recorded myself under water playing with plastic, wrapping myself in it, screaming and yelling under water, gasping, etc. I used crisp bags and cellophane under the water for the part where the \u2018being\u2019 gets twisted up and choked in the plastic. I used a lot of sound design and choppy panning to give the dizzying sensation.<\/p><p>On top of all this I did a ton of sound design to create the submerging sounds, using a lot of sub layers to give the feeling of going deeper under water. I manipulated the instrumentation and vocal sounds to sound like the aquatic beings under the water. I also added a teeny tiny clip of real dolphins and of a real whale, which I got from a Creative Commons library - the credits of the recordists are in the film. I think I created something like 80 tracks to create the soundscape.<\/p><p>The male voice which represents the ancestors speaking in Old Norse and the Romans, was done by Tom Keenan - the poetry editor and contributing writer. I didn\u2019t want a voice all over the piece, reading the whole poem, as I wanted the soundscape itself to be the main focus and the poem to read in the readers\u2019 head, but felt the lines that represented the voices of pasts epochs worked out loud. I pitched Tom\u2019s voice down a bit to make it sound as if it was more ancient, old and faraway, and in the case of the Roman parts, pitched it down even more. If I ever put this out as an audio piece I may have to put spoken word all the way through\u2026 watch this space.<\/p><p><\/p><p><u>FURTHER VISUALS<\/u><\/p><p>Following the production of Med Selkies, I started to create some abstract artwork which has been printed onto 100% organic recycled cotton paper and organic clothing. The prints so far have been called Breath Breath Breath, which refers to a line in the poem, and also Med Selkies. <br \/><br \/>Please come back to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/k-a-b.net\/collection\/med-selkies-with-mermaids\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MED SELKIES collection<\/a> to see further artwork added to it as time goes on. \u201c<br \/><br \/><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/grwoaitwfv3ogt2z1pptmk4pfl8xwzxhfqxkcbd5o688z4zh.jpeg\" alt=\"grwoaitwfv3ogt2z1pptmk4pfl8xwzxhfqxkcbd5o688z4zh.jpeg\" \/>Breath Breath Breath\u2026<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p><p>Med Selkies (Below)<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/eycd2tfa1ms1aknyxmxmzfxrkbat2ily3exvldyzbaavmjve.png\" alt=\"eycd2tfa1ms1aknyxmxmzfxrkbat2ily3exvldyzbaavmjve.png\" \/>You can read the poem itself with a breakdown of its explanation by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fpg.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Med-Selkies-Det-ar-som-morkast-innan-gryingen-With-Mermaids-Its-Is-Darkest-Before-Dawn.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICKING HERE<\/a>. <br \/><br \/>You can read more about the BIG SCREEN programme on until December 23 2022, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fpg.org.uk\/exhibition\/big-screen-southend-associate-programme-appau-jnr-boayke-yiadom-kelly-ann-buckley-frazer-merrick-nastassja-simensky\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BY CLICKING HERE.<\/a><\/p><p>You can find more about Receiver by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fpg.org.uk\/exhibition\/receiver\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICKING HERE.<\/a><\/p><p><\/p>","urlTitle":"med-selkies-with-mermaids","url":"\/blog\/med-selkies-with-mermaids\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/med-selkies-with-mermaids\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/k-a-b.net\/blog\/med-selkies-with-mermaids\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1666270105,"updatedAt":1748437762,"publishedAt":1748437761,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":85630,"name":"K-A-B"},"tags":[{"id":1189,"code":"environmentally-inspired","name":"EnvironmentallyInspired","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/environmentally-inspired\/"},{"id":1191,"code":"music","name":"Music","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/music\/"},{"id":1196,"code":"womeninmusic","name":"womeninmusic","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/womeninmusic\/"},{"id":1199,"code":"waterinspired","name":"waterinspired","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/waterinspired\/"},{"id":1202,"code":"sounddesign","name":"sounddesign","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/sounddesign\/"},{"id":1203,"code":"filmscoring","name":"filmscoring","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/filmscoring\/"},{"id":1204,"code":"southendon-sea","name":"SouthendonSea","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/southendon-sea\/"},{"id":1206,"code":"samplemaking","name":"samplemaking","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/samplemaking\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rekfb1fs4i6dzdaqbhykugyboprafc0qc1cuxtja3v27b3fi.png","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rekfb1fs4i6dzdaqbhykugyboprafc0qc1cuxtja3v27b3fi.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rekfb1fs4i6dzdaqbhykugyboprafc0qc1cuxtja3v27b3fi.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":6442,"title":"Clouds","url":"\/blog\/clouds\/","urlTitle":"clouds","division":85630,"description":"K-A-B All In The Cloud \/ Flowers in the Clouds (c) (p) 2020 is the name of Version of a music piece for a new collection of cues and jingles, which has also inspired t-shirt designs for men, women and kids and wall art prints too.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/PI3yEBptNJImjlu5iG1PchsROXKJkThqU1zR7ENjWcq7sbRX.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/PI3yEBptNJImjlu5iG1PchsROXKJkThqU1zR7ENjWcq7sbRX.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":7315,"title":"HABITAT REDUCTION","url":"\/blog\/habitat-reduction\/","urlTitle":"habitat-reduction","division":85630,"description":"I WROTE this piece of music and designed this print, with the global issue of habitat destruction in mind.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/SiIL6ouvHVprrBQr9XQ56tVO6hTwfmLkpbc9q9GoxUIm4cEG.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/SiIL6ouvHVprrBQr9XQ56tVO6hTwfmLkpbc9q9GoxUIm4cEG.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":9304,"title":"Notes By The Sea - a sample by K-A-B for the project NINETY","url":"\/blog\/notes-by-the-sea-a-sample-by-k-a-b-for-the-project-2-rising\/","urlTitle":"notes-by-the-sea-a-sample-by-k-a-b-for-the-project-2-rising","division":85630,"description":"TODAY I\u2019ve been recording sounds on the beach to make a sample.  It\u2019s for a project - 2% Rising - which is collecting samples from women and non-binary people in the audio industry.  These samples will be put together as one song to be produced by:  Drum &amp; Lace, So Wylie, Lil Miss Beats, Xylo Ar","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hq8takzfxab6hxuebi711xexetcsyqfgyfna2dzrtae8kqhk.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hq8takzfxab6hxuebi711xexetcsyqfgyfna2dzrtae8kqhk.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}