“Immerse yourself in a soundscape created by schoolchildren, their strange and startling recordings reaching you from eight speakers arranged in a circle”
Textures, shapes and patterns derived from archaeological materials place the Neolithic Cannibals soundscape deeply within the heritage and history of Whitehawk in Brighton. The listening spans thousands of years, from Neolithic Flint Knapping to the early 20th century geophysical techniques used to discover Whitehawk Camp, and now the young artists from Whitehawk creating a contemporary artefact using the sounds of their environment.
Communities connecting across thousands of years through listening.
“Look down. You are standing in the middle of four blue concentric circles. It is hard to move. The sounds keep you there. The circles represent the Neolithic site on Whitehawk Hill”
Audiences were invited to step in to the centre of the gallery surrounded by speakers, within the concentric circles that map out the contours of the vast and ancient Neolithic Camp, to listen to sounds recorded and created by young artists from over the hill. The fantastical and imaginative, the noisy, chaotic and playful.
We also extend that invitation to listening to communities that are unheard, hidden, even neglected, a bit like the almost invisible remains of the Neolithic camp that sits on the hill that hides Whitehawk from the rest of the city.
The artists. Over 6 workshops, this group of 11-14 year olds explored delicate speaker feedback experiments, synthesizers, vocal improv, chalk scores and field recordings, including a session of flint knapping. These sounds make up the 20 minute - 8 speaker soundtrack in the gallery.
The video projections mix archive material and artefacts from the Whitehawk Hill digs.
Historical and contemporary artefacts support the soundscape, providing context, texture and colour.
The language used by archaeologist Cecil Curwen in his hasty appraisal of early Whitehawk residents' dietary habits, inspired the name Neolithic Cannibals.
“The language is similar to the kinds of rubbish usually aimed at communities such as Whitehawk by those in privileged positions. Neolithic Cannibals sounded like it could be a band name, or a sound hunting gang and I liked the idea of taking back the negative language and infusing it with listening power” Simon James.
Discovering that Whitehawk Neolithic Camp’s early exploration used sound and listening was an unexpected and exciting revelation.
The Bosing Tool is an early geophysical instrument for percussing/hitting the ground to determine whether the material beneath is undisturbed or loose - the former giving a sound like a ’thud’ and the latter resembling a ’thoomp’.
The reconstruction in the gallery is a physical symbol of deep listening. It stands as a reminder and invitation for us all to listen more deeply and to extend our listening to include the hidden and unheard” Simon James.
The artists and their parents preparing for the exhibition launch.
Graphic scores inspired by archaeological illustrations, finds and landscape. The artists used these scores, created using chalk from Whitehawk Hill, to generate microphone and speaker feedback performances that feature in the multi speaker soundscape.
A child and parent enjoy the video projections created by Curtis James.
Listening in all its forms, is at the heart of Neolithic Cannibals and connects with the Class Divide campaign for fairer education opportunities for every child.
The Class Divide area shared information about the campaign through a podcast listening station, TV clips and copies of the Class Divide Zine.
Simon James talks to Sarah Gorrell on BBC Radio Sussex about his experience of education and growing up in Whitehawk.
Photo and video credits. Emily Macaulay, Curtis James and Phoebe Wingrave.