A 12 channel audio performance in which I attempt to make salmon language whilst moving up river from Tynemouth to Kielder water. All music is made and processed from underwater recordings taken in the River Tyne Jan, Feb 2010. 

Score: 12’00″ to 22’15″

Salty sweet pink fish meat sold in sealed plastic is available all over the place these days. It’s called salmon and down London ways  we regularly scoff it with glee. Up here I discovered the truth behind the original version of this awesome creature. That swims all the way from Greenland, back to the river in which it was born to spawn. It seems once they’ve decided to come, the salmon  find their river from the taste of its water then swim all the way up  it, against its rushing current, navigating the concrete narrow fish passes beside weirs and waterfalls and the still, shallow patches all the way to its source. And they might take eight months to do this and they don’t eat at all.

Today the River Tyne sees the greatest number  of Atlantic Salmon passing up its  waters in the UK. People come from all over the world paying thousands to catch these magnificent silvery creatures which they then have to throw back. I decided to take the journey these fish take, meeting and hearing the force and melody of this always moving water. Incidentally, my research found that salmon themselves are completely silent.

See NEWS from Monday January 18th to Sunday 14th March for Research Blog.

Score: 22’15″ – 32’17″

FROM THE NORTH ATLANTIC, THE WILD SALMON enters THE RIVER TYNE

@38 NS(numbers written along the horizontal

68 WE (numbers written along the vertical)

(North Shields Fish Quay 36 68 )

Drops south to 35 66 (Jarrow, south of river)

West east to 30 66  (Wallsend, north of rive)r

South to 30 63 (Gateshead @ 25 63)

West east to 18 64 (just past Blaydon)

West east to 07 63

West east 05 04 03 02  62 (Riding mill)

Climbs NW to 92 66 (, passing Corbridge, Hexham, to Bridge End)

(note that from 00, numbers begins to reverse, 99 98 etc)

North to 71 92  (Chollerford)

North to 73 92 (Barrasford, just round small bend)

North west to 86 82 (Bellingham)

North West to 72 88 (Kielder Water)

And hits BANG

THE DAM : KIELDER WATER

Kielder Burn is North west at  93 63

The Salmon hatchery is 63 93

Score: 0’00″- 12’00″

Where are the wild ones? was A RIVERS commission by AV Festival 10 and the Environment Agency, curated by Rebecca Shatwell, premiered on March 14th  2010 at The Sage, UK.

With special thanks to Laura Harrington, Chris Watson, and Gill and Tony Macdonald.