During 2017 Offaly County Council commissioned composer Karen Power to explore the world of pollinators through sound. Karen has recorded 1000s of pollinators over the spring and summer in Offaly and has then composed music using the recordings. On Tuesday 17th October you are invited to the Tullamore Arts Centre on High Street, Tullamore to hear the premier performance of sonic pollinators with Quiet Music Ensemble

sonic polinators(2017) aims to capture, represent and juxtapose the real and imagined, or reimagined, place, time and uniqueness of Offaly and its pollinators through music/sound. After 6 months of listening and recording natural and maned pollinators throughout Offaly, this pollinators project comes to its completion. Natural settings include: Clara Bog, Lough Boora Discovery Park + Birr Castle Garden’s. Managed settings were accessed in collaboration with Offaly Beekeeping Association.

“The root concept of this project was to spend time visiting both the natural and humanly created pollinator environments. I made multiple visits to listen and make full frequency recordings of bees, plants and their surrounding habitats. Every place has its own character and sense of time, this for me is palpable, most especially in more isolated, less human spaces. Listen to any of these spaces where nature and surroundings simply coexist. They are in sync and everything within that space has a purpose - natural chaos - you hear patterns evolve and dissolve and you hear a new kind of ‘harmony’. sonic polinators will engulf you, surround you, like a protective cocoon….”

The evening starts at 7.45pm for 8.00pm followed by refreshments.

This project is funded by Creative Ireland and is part of Offaly County Council’s Heritage Plan 2017-22 to promote the All Ireland Pollinator Plan.