I Am Here gives voice to nature, asking us to return to her bosom, to reconnect, to remember the joy we feel together. It was born from an urgent need to reconnect with the nature around us and within us. Inspired by her runs in the Phoenix Park throughout Covid, witnessing the changing seasons more than ever, the project’s creator, Jennifer McMahon wondered- what might nature sound like? How might we collaborate through presence, witnessing and experiencing without taking- a process she noticed is not the norm in our global interactions with the nature around us.
In a world where extraction and depletion is causing a deep rupture between human and earth, the need to reconnect has never seemed more necessary. It is Jennifer’s belief, as it was with humans long before us, that for our survival on this planet, we must live interdependently- not as master and slave, not as exploiters and exploited. We must, urgently, remember the relationship between the nature around us and that which is within us. Perhaps what is going on in the world is a deep reflection of our own disconnection, or is it the opposite way around?
The project has become an 8 piece song cycle and music trail. Map coordinates, found sounds, historical stories from each ‘stop’ on the map inform the corresponding musical piece.
The music trail at The Phoenix Park unfolds as follows….
Location #1 : The Bandstand -INVITATION
Location #2: The Playground- PLAY
Location #3: The Magazine Fort- EXPLORE
Location #4: Knockmaree Dolmen- PRESENT
Location #5: The Furry Glenn- WISDOM
Location #6: Sunken Garden- THERE’S A REASON
Location #7: Castleknock Gate- HOME
Location #8: Phoenix Monument- ALL ROADS LEAD HERE
Join us for the first complete live performance of the music trail as it is recorded for online access and use in realtime at the locations in The Phoenix Park. Come as you are and let’s walk the sonic path together at The Cobblestone on July 12th.
Jennifer McMahon, vocals and live electronics
Cormac Kenny, piano and keys
Eoin O’ Halloran, bass and effects
Hugh Denman, drums and percussion
with special guest: the sounds of The Phoenix Park
This is an afternoon show. Families are welcome. Please arrive on time! Run time is expected to be 60- 70 minutes. Doors at 3pm, music from 3.30pm.
Created with thanks to the Improvised Music Centre’s Incubator Pilot Project and it’s creative champions.
