Happy New Year,
January for me is often an extremely busy Month. However I also appreciate the return to normality and the quiet after the Christmas celebrations. If I have the chance I like to try and take time, before the business of touring begins, to get my head around the schedule for the forthcoming year. I have been told that some people think January is a bit of an anti-climax after all the hustle and bustle of the December but for me it is a wonderful time to reflect and consider the projects I will be involved in throughout the year.

This period is a time of working out, evaluating and planning for the year ahead and one of my new projects is titled Just Listen. This project is currently being developed by Brad Lisle and his team in Canada and is intended for the 3D IMAX cinemas and the world wide web. The idea is to investigate and present the science of sound. I am honoured to be part of this project because I am fascinated by so many facets of the natural world and have always wondered about the sound affects on and within the unconscious brain.

Since the onset of my deafness I have explored, and continue to explore, the body’s ability to ‘feel’ sound. Our world is about vibration and as the sound waves vibrate around us it is possible to feel the impact physically. For example it always amazes me when I am on an aeroplane with a bottle of water and as the plane vibrates the water jiggles around in the bottle. When I clasp the bottle I can feel the water moving around.

The project has already begun to change the way I experience the natural world around me. Over the Christmas break I managed to take time out just to walk through the woods and lanes close to where I live. As I wandered my thoughts turned to the countless creatures that would be hibernating in the undergrowth, the birds building nests and the squirrels darting around the fallen leaves foraging for food. I became immersed in the ‘feeling’ of the winter sun on my skin, the wind brushing my hair and my boots crunching the broken twigs beneath my feet. The intensity was warm and wholesome.

I would be interested to hear what positive thoughts you have for your New Year and if you have any ideas about the ‘science of sound’ in the natural world.

Image: © Cambridge Newspaper Ltd (used by kind permission)