“Easter Sound-day” Spring Treasure Hunt

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Walking piece details

“This Easter morning, go out for a different kind of egg hunt. Turn on your location services (GPS), put on your headphones, and head out to find three sonic ‘eggs’ hidden along the way – (all are well within 2 kms of your home.)… When you’ve found all three sounds of spring, list them in a text to me with your name for a wee prize.”

At Easter I felt like doing something special for some of the families around the village. Ireland was in lockdown, and the usual big family gatherings of Easter wouldn’t be happening. The end of Lent normally means the breaking of a fast – but it felt like everyone was still fasting in a way, missing that nourishment of social and extended-family life. I wanted to create something that didn’t ignore that strange feeling, but which also celebrated the time of year with something playful and novel.

For non-essential journeys, including for exercise, we were all restricted to a 2-km radius around our homes. So I set up the walk in six different places, so that a number of different households could take part (I’ve since reduced it to two possible starting points, right in the village.) Also, the trigger zones were hidden, but I’ve made them visible so you can play them without being here.

The whole thing was conceived and created in under three days, so for those reasons it is a bit rough around the edges – especially my cello playing. There was no intention to make it public or leave it up after Easter, but I was pleased with how it turned out.