By the Sound of Things is an immersive audiovisual experience onboard the unique steam-powered, Mersey-built boat, the Daniel Adamson (The Danny).
There are two ways to experience this artwork: a half-day cruise, or an hour-long experience on the moored vessel.
The event is held 9- 11 July, various times. Advance booking required | Book your cruise ticket | Book your static experience
From the deck of one of the last surviving Manchester Ship Canal tugs, the audience is invited to feel the vast echoes and epic scale of the modern shipping industry and consider the extent and impact of our insatiable consumerism on local and global environments.
Submerged beneath the waterline, mariners rest below deck between watches – their cradle song is the aching sounds of a ship against water. A nautical soundtrack transports wayfarers to a vast and veiled world – a subaquatic acoustical mirage. Featuring deep sea hydrophone recordings depicting the marine ecosystem disrupted by man-made ship noise, this hypnotic binaural sound work tells the story of the journey of a container as it travels from the surface to the bottom of the ocean.
An accompanying film focusing on the world above water presents a collision of the extraordinary and the banal that defines the image of global sea trade – an absurd narrative of ordinary things. Containers loaded and unloaded, the rhythmic motions of cranes performing an industrial-scale ballet, the transporting vessels of the global shipping industry forge sonic trails across oceans to bring us our things; the necessary and frivolous, the coveted and the disposable.
By the Sound of Things Cruises
Cruise 1 – Saturday 10 July, 11am
Arrive at Telfords Quay (Ellesmere Port) at 10.30am, for an 11am cruise departure
10.30am-11am – Check in and board the boat
11am – Cruise departs Telfords Quay
2pm – Cruise arrives at Latchford Lock (Warrington)
2.10pm – Board the bus to depart Latchford Lock, transporting you back to Telfords Quay around 2.30pm-2.45pm
Cruise 2 – Saturday 10 July, 3.15pm
Arrive at Telfords Quay (Ellesmere Port) at 3pm for a 3.15pm coach departure
3.45pm-4pm – Arrive at Latchford Lock (Warrington)
4pm – Cruise departs Latchford Lock
7pm – Cruise arrives Telfords Quay
7pm-7.30pm – Alight boat
Cruise 3 – Sunday 11 July, 1pm
Arrive at Telfords Quay (Ellesmere Port) at 12.30pm, for a 1pm cruise departure
12.30pm-1pm – Check in and board the boat
1pm – Cruise departs Telfords Quay
4pm – Cruise arrives at Latchford Lock (Warrington)
4.10pm – Board the bus to depart Latchford Lock, transporting you back to Telfords Quay around 4.30pm-4.45pm
Please note, cruises are one way and timings (and prices) for each cruise includes on-boarding, and travel back to the embarkation point. The galley will be open to purchase hot drinks, alcohol and snacks during each cruise, with table service in operation. There are no facilities to prepare meals, so we recommend bringing a packed lunch.
By the Sound of Things Static Experience
As an alternative to our By the Sound of Things cruise, we have released tickets for a static experience of the artwork. Join us on board the Daniel Adamson, moored at Telfords Quay, Ellesmere Port for an hour-long interaction with Kate Davies’ film work and sound installation.
Static experiences are bookable:
Friday 9 July at 3pm, 3.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm
Sunday 11 July at 11am, 11.30am, 12pm
Working with the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society team, we have taken into account government guidance relating to social distancing, and will safely accommodate you and your group throughout your time with us. Please bring your own face mask. There will be hand washing / sanitising stations around the site. Please see our statement about continuing Stage 3 measures on the journal.
By the Sound of Things by Kate Davies is commissioned and produced by Abandon Normal Devices. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England with further support from The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society, Portico: Portsmouth’s Cargo Terminal, and Maritime Digital Hub. Sound Design: Chris Timpson of Aurelia Soundworks. Voice: Jess Gunning. Producer: Tricia Coleman. Special thanks to Professor Steve Simpson, University of Exeter, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, and Marta Bolgan PhD.