Shows
The HomeSounds ShowSheringham Park and Beeston Common - Frogs, Toads and NewtsWelcome Home Everybody!In this episode, Rob leads us on a hunt for Frogs and their copper-eyed cousins Toads. We started with a careful walk through the woods at Sheringham Park, dodging the toads crossing our path that were making safe passage to the ponds where they lay their spawn. Rob tells us that toads squeak, so we stopped to investigate. From Sheringham we jump back into the bus and make our way to another pond at nearby Beeston Common. An army of frogs await us, their soft croaking alerting us to their presence long before w...2025-05-1330 min
The HomeSounds ShowIpswich - Seconds of Sound at Suffolk LibrariesWelcome Home Everybody!In 2024 I was privileged and delighted to be appointed ‘Environmentalist in Residence’ for Suffolk Libraries, an independent charity running the public library service for the county of Suffolk in the UK. For this residency I created a project titled ‘Seconds of Sound’ within which lay two main strands of work.The aim of the first was for me to walk between all 45 of Suffolk’s public libraries, recording acoustic habitats and environmental sound on the way and then disseminating these recordings into a collection to be added to the main library catalogue. Reaching between 1...2025-04-0958 min
The HomeSounds ShowSheringham and Felbrigg - Soils and PlantsWelcome Home Everybody!A few weeks ago I managed to get my hands on a new microphone developed by the field recordist and sound artist Jez Riley French. The ecoutic is an adapted version of Jez’s popular c-series contact microphone. Short or long metal probes attach to the original c-series microphone body. These probes allow the microphone to penetrate soils, substrates, plant stems and many other materials, enabling very fine sound within these materials to be detected without the low rumble often associated with this kind of recording. Excited to try the...2025-02-2730 min
The HomeSounds ShowWest Runton and Happisburgh - Sounds of Coastal ErosionWelcome Home Everybody!In this episode I, along with Sue Grime from North Norfolk District Council’s Coastwise project, take our Sidestrand school group on a trip to West Runton beach. West Runton forms part of the Deep History Coast, a 22 mile section of North Norfolk shoreline famously home, amongst other ancient treasures, to the remains of a 600,000 year old Steppe Mammoth, the bones of rhinos, hyeanas and bears, chalk rock pools that reveal rich bounties of fossils as the tide goes out, footprints and tools of our ancient human ancestors and, our contemporary focus for th...2025-01-0830 min
The HomeSounds ShowFields of North Norfolk - March HaresWelcome home everybody!In this episode, Rob led our Sidestrand school group on a hunt for Hares across the North Norfolk Countryside. Using the school minibus as a mobile hide, we scampered down country lanes, and pitched in opportune parking spots when we either came across suitable hare habitats, or spotted one sitting on, or sprinting across, a farmers field. To aid our hunt, we made use of a Hare Call to try to draw them closer, or peak their interest. A classic anthropogenic sound of the countryside, the Hare Call peaked...2024-11-1230 min
The HomeSounds ShowAcross A Distance - Ximena Alarcon (Part 1)Welcome Home Everybody!In this episode, the first of two which have been created as part of HomeSounds ‘Lessons from Listening’ series, Martin talks with Ximena Alarcon, a sound artist-researcher interested in listening and sounding human sonic migrations, and experiencing the resonances left in between the borders we cross when we tune in and meet others across distant locations.Throughout her career, Ximena has created what she calls telematic sonic improvisations and interfaces for relational listening, in order to understand migratory experience from a sensory perspective. Our conversation explores Ximena’s work, the points of conne...2024-08-0955 minThe HomeSounds ShowAcross A Distance - Ximena Alarcon (Part 2)Welcome Home Everybody!In this episode, the second of two which have been created as part of HomeSounds ‘Lessons from Listening’ series, Martin talks with Ximena Alarcon, a sound artist-researcher interested in listening and sounding human sonic migrations, and experiencing the resonances left in between the borders we cross when we tune in and meet others across distant locations.Throughout her career, Ximena has created what she calls telematic sonic improvisations and interfaces for relational listening, in order to understand migratory experience from a sensory perspective. Our conversation explores Ximena’s work, the points of conne...2024-08-091h 00
The HomeSounds ShowSheringham Park - Birds Round The FeederWelcome Home Everybody!In this episode Rob and I have invited our group of young people from Sidestrand School to Sheringham Park. A regular venue for us, we make the education centre at the park our base for today’s adventures.On this trip we’re hoping to be able to watch, listen to and learn more about the bird life of the park, particularly those that visit the feeders at the education centre. We also hoped to take a walk through the park’s extensive pine woodland and do some communal listening activities….at least...2024-04-0430 min
The HomeSounds ShowBlakeney Point - ExperienceWelcome home everybody!In this episode Rob and I lead our Sidestrand School group on a walk along the shingle and sand dunes of Blakeney Point, a spit of land on the North Norfolk Coast that is incrementally lost to the sea as it rolls out for 4 miles.The point is a national nature reserve currently managed by the National Trust, and it gives protection for Blakeney Harbour and the surrounding salt marshes, which in turn provide habitats for a vast array of resident and migratory wildlife. The point is...2024-01-3130 min
The HomeSounds ShowFelbrigg - Mushroom Bio-SonificationWelcome home everybody, and welcome to The HomeSounds Show!In this episode, Rob and I are looking for mushrooms, not only because of their incredible variety and fascinating history as possibly the first life forms on planet earth, but also because of the potential, made possible by bio-sonification, of hearing them. Following our previous experiments in this inspiring area of environmental listening, we wander the Great Wood at Felbrigg with a beginners hope of finding fungi that we can tune into.If you'd like to keep listening visit homesounds.org where...2023-12-0430 min
The HomeSounds ShowArctic - Michael Stocker (Part 2)Welcome Home Everybody!In this episode, the second of two parts, Martin continues his interview with acoustician and naturalist Michael Stocker. Drawing inspiration from Michael's wonderfully free-ranging and rich book, Hear Where We Are, the conversation, and accompanying audio extracts, explore the myriad themes within Michaels book and relate these to the experiences of the HomeSounds project. The book examines how humans and other hearing animals use sound to establish relationships with their surroundings. It does this by examining sound in incredible scientific detail and mixing this with stories of everyday human experience and emotion. As...2023-11-0649 min
The HomeSounds ShowArctic - Michael Stocker (Part 1)Welcome Home Everybody!In this episode, the first of two parts, Martin interviews acoustician and naturalist Michael Stocker. Drawing inspiration from Michael's wonderfully free-ranging and rich book, Hear Where We Are, the conversation, and accompanying audio extracts, explore the myriad themes within Michaels book and relate these to the experiences of the HomeSounds project. The book examines how humans and other hearing animals use sound to establish relationships with their surroundings. It does this by examining sound in incredible scientific detail and mixing this with stories of everyday human experience and emotion. As well as enriching...2023-11-0546 min
The HomeSounds ShowWeybourne Heath - NightjarWelcome Home Everybody!In this episode, recorded in the late summer of 2020, Rob and I visit a section of Weybourne Heath on the North Norfolk Coast here in the UK, in search of a bird the song of which is matched only by its appearance and character in exciting the imagination. An African migrant, the crepuscular Nightjar, and its breathless churring song, sits comfortably in the unscientific category of magical nature.If you'd like to keep listening visit homesounds.org where you can find all previous episodes of the HomeSounds show, as well as many more...2023-11-0230 min
The HomeSounds ShowSheringham Park - Rhodie-bashing and Bio-sonificationWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening.In today's episode we are joined at Sheringham Park by staff and young people from Norwich City College's MINT employment project. This project focuses on getting young people aged between 16 and 25yrs into sustainable paid employment. The aim of the today's walk...2023-10-0530 min
The HomeSounds ShowIncleborough Hill - Gorse Hatchers and Devils GutsWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening.In these sessions we play listening games, explore on foot, learn about the wildlife of the area, and tune in to their acoustic habitats through listening and audio field recording. For todays episode we visit Incleborough Hill on the North Norfolk Coast...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowFelbrigg - Scarrowbeck StreamWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening. The first of these is working with a small group of young people from Sidestrand School here in North Norfolk.In these sessions we play listening games, explore on foot, learn about the wildlife of the area, and tune in...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowFelbrigg - Chiff Chaff and BlackcapWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening. The first of these is working with a small group of young people from Sidestrand School here in North Norfolk. In these sessions we play listening games, explore on foot, learn about the wildlife of the area, and tune in to their acoustic habitats...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowWheatfen - Jesse BarrettWelcome Home Everybody!HomeSounds creator Martin Scaiff is joined by exquisite musician and friend Jesse Barrett. Together they attempt to discuss and demonstrate something of the role acoustic habitats play in shaping our creativity. They also fall in a big hole, try to start a rumour about a fish-man-creature of the broads and spot a heron. After walking and recording at Wheatfen they retire to Jesse’s self-built studio-come-motorcycle workshop to improvise a piece of sound inspired by the morning.LINKSWheatfen Nature ReserveVibhaasHomesounds Ho...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowMorston Marsh - Curlew, Red Shank and Oyster CatcherWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening. The first of these is working with a small group of young people from Sidestrand School here in North Norfolk.Towards the end of 2022 we ran a couple of sessions with this group at Sheringham Park, and at Felbrigg and in these we played...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowSheringham Park - WoodpeckersWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening. The first of these is working with a small group of young people from Sidestrand School here in North Norfolk.Towards the end of 2022 we ran a couple of sessions with this group at Sheringham Park, and at Felbrigg and in these we played...2023-09-2030 min
The HomeSounds ShowHorsey - SealsWelcome Home Everybody!The HomeSounds project began working with the National Trust in the autumn of 2022 through its Riverlands project and has installed two live-streaming microphones at their Felbrigg and Blickling Estates. Running Alongside these installations are a series of educational activities encouraging people to become more active in their environmental listening. The first of these is working with a small group of young people from Sidestrand School here in North Norfolk.Towards the end of 2022 we ran a couple of sessions with this group at Sheringham Park, and at Felbrigg and in these we played...2023-09-1830 min