Sharonagh Montrose and Helen Bowater

Crossed Wires, 2015

Crossed Wires presents a sonic montage of fragmented sounds which suggest through vocal utterance or musical instrument a call or cry. These sonic fragments have been recontextualised from music composed by Helen Bowater to underline this intention. It sits lightly on the environment as a multi-layered braiding of stories that act as a bridge to a world of wonder. It is a work that literally pitches as much as it rolls. Crossed Wires calls us to attention and invites us to cast a line into the endless ow of the quotidian and draw a moment of reflection from the experience.

“…time to see, in broad daylight,
 streams full of stars, like skies at night” – W. H. Davies

Thanks to Pepe Becker, director of Baroque Voices, for permitting substantial quotes from Ftatsu No Umi (comp. Helen Bowater) and to David Bowater for his recordings of Bodhgaya monks, insects and bird calls.

Sharonagh Montrose

Sharonagh Montrose, soundscape artist – Montrose has a PHD in ne arts from Elam, University of Auckland. She exhibits both nationally and internationally using sound as medium to express the spaces of wonder at the interstices of language.

Helen Bowater

Helen Bowater, composer – Bowater graduated BMus (Hons) in music history and ethnomusicology from Victoria University, Wellington. She later studied composition with Jack Body and electroacoustic music with Ross Harris. Her works have been performed widely in the world.