Audio Peacocks in the Cwm Idwal Valley/ Snowdania, Wales.
A “herd” of electroacoustic “birds” wander into the Valley. This mobile and multiacoustic ensemble wear costumes equipped with samplers, amplifiers, speakers and batteries. Their autonomous instruments allow them to interact with the natural amphitheater-like environment of the Cwm Idwal Valley. The individual performers’ sounds echo and reverberate with each other throughout the landscape. Their voices are transformed into the lonely cries of a strange species breaking against the mountain slopes:
Idwals* lament echoes across the valley and reverberates on the lake’s surface.
N.B. Even though the Valley Peacocks are not particularly social (like wild mountain goats or cows in the Alps with their cacophonous bells) they are not shy and are also known to enjoy other acoustic surroundings such as nearby Conry Castle (see photos).
*The cultural significance of the valley is exemplified in the fabled origins of its name, named in memory of Idwal, son of one of the ancient Princes of Gwynedd who according to legend, drowned in the lake.
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