This project has been a long time a-coming! Planning started soon after Day 1 of lock-down. Now it’s almost 6 months later, so the ingredients are well prepped and some are even pre-cooked, just like the best TV chef programmes! I’d like to thank my two volunteer assistants right away for their roles in this – Louise Harding, artist and crafts person; & Kate Thomson, musician.
The images below demonstrate what a final tapestry could look like. One shows the physical tapestry, the other a possible structure for the sound. As we pool ideas for the end products it might even be possible to make the 2 tapestries match more closely. They will evolve over the winter and burst forth in a finished form next spring … possibly even on the anniversary of lock-down.
Click to enlarge
All the decisions about design of the physical tapestry will be taken by participants. Please put forward your ideas!
In a similar fashion, the structure and content of the sound tapestry will be further developed by you.
Structure of the Sound. Think of the whole like a big meal, with 4 major courses, linked together by clapping. The 1st is built around Verse 1 and Chorus 1, with a calm and gentle mood as we say thank you for family, friends and carers. That’s the purple end of the rainbow. The 2nd (blue and green for NHS and nature) starts out very sad and dark, but begins to pick up energy. The 3rd has an element of anger/frustration within the percussion beat patterns (yellow and red for communication, online, Royal Mail etc). Last but not least are the basics of life (the sky blue shops & food industry, with orange services & construction). We hope there can be big drums and cymbals, over which we build a grand finale. But none of the above is set in stone. We can change lyrics to match the spoken tributes that come in. Why not use your imagination to arrange chords and tune fragments, compose & perform new interludes? In the event of any disagreements, the final artistic decisions will be taken by Caroline and Kate. Please send in your recordings to be mixed down, if possible using the free App Hi-Q (MP3 format) on your phone. Send to the dedicated project number 07767 687421. Alternatively send by email to cjs@betterways2learn.co.uk
The purpose of this page is to keep sharing and developing our designs and sounds ’til the result is done and we perform ‘the world is well again’. Please complete the booking form, so we can make a start as soon as possible.
‘Til the world is well again & music for heroes
(c) C. Stephenson and K. Thomson 2020
Music Tracks
Lyrics:
VERSE 1 When life defied our expectations and daily patterns began to fragment, ’twas a time to think what really matters and an opportunity that we were sent. CHORUS 1 So would we pull together throughout this troubled time? Think of all the ways to show we care for those of troubled mind? The thousands who were lonely in panic or in pain, needing simple acts of kindness ’til the world is well again.
Lyrics:
VERSE 2 Though many of us were lucky and had somebody by our side, there were those who suffered the sickness and who was beside them as they died? CHORUS 2 In darkness throughout the worst time the nurses held their hand and doctors worked around the clock and tried to understand the virus, that took many from their families and friends; the medics working wonders until we reach the end.
Lyrics:
VERSE 3 Each day there were so many messages – from work, from school and the news. But did we know what the truth was, or even how to choose? CHORUS 3 The teachers who kept working across the internet; they tried their best to help ensure that learning goals were met. With endless online meetings, so we could communicate; yet no one knew the answers … it was all up for debate.