This sound walk invites you to explore Stenness beach as it once was – an important fishing station until the late 19th century. A unique, yet elusive, part of Shetland’s heritage. The soundscape encourages you to re-imagine the beach as a hive of activity, where communities of fishermen and traders made temporary homes over the summer months.
Placed in the landscape are audio fragments of sounds and voices – observations of early travellers visiting Stenness, archival documents relating to ‘haaf’ fishing, agreements binding men to the summer fishing, indebtedness, accounts of storms and loss of life, and even what the fishermen bought for their tea – so you will encounter many different voices.
Downloadable now via an app to all mobile phones and using GPS to locate the sound pools. This walk is a site specific located audioscape set in a remote setting. It has been developed by Janette Kerr and Jo Millett in collaboration with art collective Satsymph who have developed the innovative locative sound technology. Co-inciding with Shetland Screenplay, commencing Sept 1st 2021, it will be available from then on. It can be accessed via the website ‘Confusing shadow with substance’: http://www.confusingshadowwithsubstance.co.uk/sound-walk/, or from https://www.janettekerr.co.uk/ling-received-fishermen-of-the-far-haaf