Author: Andrew Grantham

Nicki Minaj at the Denge sound mirrors

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

I seem to have missed this when it first came out in November 2012. Nick Minaj shoots music video in Kent!, says Kent Film Office.

According to Wikipedia, “”Freedom” is a downtempo hip hop and R&B song that features a “sonically breezy” soundscape, complied with ambient riffs, pop-inspired synths, and soft pop choruses.”1

According to Director Colin Tilley:

Fun fact#2… the wall we are standing next too thats super curved was an old sound satellite they built back in the day that was supposed to receive messages from England to Paris…. kinda awesome. If you stand on one end and whisper the person on the other end can hear as if you are next to each other…2

I think there is a little bit of confusion there!

  1. Freedom (Nicki Minaj song), Wikipedia, accessed 24 February 2014 ↩
  2. Director Colin Tilley on Nicki Minaj “Freedom”, Steven Gottlieb, Video Static, 27 November 2012 ↩

Listening Stones

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

199.365.02

Listening Stones, St. Vrain Greenway, Longmont, Colorado

Granite river boulders, wood, flagstone. 1997.

This sculpture uses a parabolic sound mirror carved into boulders to dramatically magnify the sound of a nearby stream for listeners. It is inspired by satellite dishes, the seating in choir lofts where curved walls reflect sound and the antique hand-held sound magnifiers used in the days before hearing aids. The concept of sound reflection has been known for centuries, such as at the Whispering Wall in China. … Now, parabolic sound mirrors are found at children’s playgrounds and in dish microphones at sporting events. The creative aspects of this sculpture are threefold […more at Robert Tully Artworks]

Sound mirror radio drama

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Early Warning

A thriller by Richard Monks

Taking refuge in a subterranean bunker under a ‘Sound Mirror’ Ella hears a horrific sound. Ella believes she is a witness to a brutal murder. But her evidence is dismissed as unreliable when the police learn that she is deaf. Ella’s fight to be heard forces her to take action, putting her own life in danger.

Source: BBC Radio 3

Sound mirror for sale

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Boulby Barns Farm is for sale, along with its sound mirror. Offers in the region of £695 000.

Within the paddock is a Grade II listed Listening Post dating from around 1916 and used to detect approaching enemy Zeppelins and other aircraft. This structure is believed to be one of only 3 remaining in the country.
Source: Smiths Gore/Rightmove

Presumably this refers to the similar mirrors at Sunderland and Selsey.

Thanks to John McMillan for alerting me.

Denge sound mirrors video

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

‘Sound Mirrors’ -Denge, Dungeness, Kent.
by Morgan O’Donovan
Sound Mirrors explores the monumental remnants of a dead-end technology and the people who visit them. The three concrete ‘listening ears’ at Denge near Dungeness in Kent are the best known of the various early warning acoustic mirrors built along Britains coast. This is the first film produced by director/ photographer Morgan O’Donovan with architect Stephen Beasley. Filmed August 2009.

2012 guided walks to the Denge sound mirrors

Posted on by Andrew Grantham

Following from an open day on 8 July 2012, there is a free non-booking guided walk out to the Denge sound mirrors on the afternoon of Sunday 12 August.

The RMCP events are the only way to visit the Denge mirrors. The walks are very popular, and well worth doing.

Full details from the Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership website. Anyone planning to attend should confirm details with the RMCP before travelling.