Lost and Sound

Seeing a man with a metal detector on Hastings beach while researching an artwork, Output Arts were struck by the meditative nature of the pursuit: the slow purposeful walk, the gentle sweep of the detector and the intent listening. Excited by the idea of making an artwork based around metal detectors, Output Arts designed and built custom detectors for finding audio.

In summer 2011, Output Arts worked with a youth club in Folkestone to record members of the local population responding to the broad subject of ‘loss.’ These responses varied from intensely personal to humorous and unusual: a lost loved one, lost virginity, a lost song.

The result of this process was shown as part of the Folkestone Triennial Fringe in 2011 and then toured to Cromer and Sheringham Area Arts Festival.

In 2012, Output Arts worked with The Mayor’s Thames Festival to record new audio, obtained through an open call for stories and at an event at Cremorne Riverside youth community centre, to refocus the work on this new location. The artwork was augmented with a programme of foreshore activities by Thames21, a charity that works to improve our rivers, canals, ponds and lakes for people and wildlife.

Output Arts are very grateful to staff and young people at The Shed youth club in Folkestone for their hard work aiding us in collecting audio, the Folkestone and Channel Rotary Clubs, and Cremorne Riverside for lending their time and voices to this project. We are also grateful to C-Scope International for kindly donating the metal detector parts and to Shepway Council, Cromer and Sheringham Arts Festival, and the Mayor's Thames Festival for their support.

"An amazing sensory experience – so pleased I could give the children an opportunity to experience such a thing."