Shimmer Tree

Shimmer Tree is an impressive six metre high tree-like sound and light sculpture controlled by the wind. As the listener wanders underneath, the directional sound and changing resonances envelope the listener in an evolving and meditative sound bath that responds to the environment. It has 12 branches and 12 large cymbals suspended above head height. Each cymbal is fitted with a tactile transducer, transforming it into a metallic resonator speaker.

Experience a non-repeating aeolian composition. Anemometers convert wind speed into a digital data stream which in turn plays cadences of modal chords on soft synths. Cumbrian nature samples are added to the mix including red squirrels from Ullswater, curlews from Shap, dawn chorus from Walney Island and bees from Water Yeat. The chords build up, rising and falling in realtime with the speed of the wind. Each cymbal resonates differently creating a spatial soundscape. Some listeners have quite an emotional, moving response to the sound.

A large bass speaker adds tempo to the piece, varying with the windspeed.

After dark SHIMMER TREE is illuminated by pixel mapped LEDs that respond in realtime to the sound creating pulses and patterns of coloured light up and around the tree. LED arrays under each cymbal uplight the copper also in response to the velocity of the audio.

Shimmer was originally created with Phil Supple as a 150m long linear installation with 24 cymbals for Electric Glen in 2016 and has since appeared in various forms at Audiograft Festival, Freedom Festival, Lumiere Durham, Light Up Lancaster, Oxford Christmas Lights, Timber Festival, Lakes Alive, Lancashire Encounters, Manchester Folk Festival and Devizes lantern procession.

Shimmer Linear

The linear version uses up to 24 cymbals rigged on custom made poles. With a total length between 70 and 180 meters it is ideal for locations where an audience is walking along a path.

It can be installed on grass or hardstanding. The original version at Electric Glen had six channels of sound repeated 4 times. The sound composition was recorded using the cymbals themselves and featured a 12/8 rhythm from Aleppo.

additional landscape lighting can be tied in to Shimmer to increase the impact of the piece in the landscape.