This walk offers a truly engaging experience through storytelling and music. As you travel through the trail, accompanied by a modern day lace maker also experiencing the sound walk, you hear stories from the present day and the past each contributing to the understanding of the heritage of lacemaking in Headford. Each segment is well paced and timed and the history of lace making, and the importance it had for the community, is unveiled and brought to life as we encounter stories and tales from the past through memories, personal stories and conversations with historical characters. The experience is articulated with sound design and music as you traverse the past and present.

Semi-Colon is a wonderfully listenable, intimate soundwalk, where we are invited to enter into the transformative world view of Abhiraj Dadiyan. This work is part of a collection of grounded soundwalks produced by Dawn Matheson, as part of How to Draw a Tree. The title, Semi-Colon, denotes the continuation of a sentence, where there could have been an ending punctuated by a full stop, and it is the symbol of Abhiraj’s tattoo, marking the continuation of his life beyond a suicide attempt.

I accessed this sound walk online from London, and although it specifically describes and responds to one physical geographic location, Arboretum in Guelph, Canada, I found the narrative and the ideas easily transferable to my context and geography.

I encourage you to take the time and space, to benefit from this human, sincere work.