Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inside The Rock | 20151015 | In the middle of Ben Cruachan in the hills of Argyl and Bute is a man-made cavern 90 metres high and 36 metres long, reached through a kilometre long rock tunnel. It's tall enough for an entire Cathedral to sit in its belly. This is the home of the Cruachan Power Station. Marking it's 50th anniversary, the writer Maria Fusco is creating a site-specific work. Master Rock is a repertoire for the mountain and will be performed live inside the power station for broadcast on 17th October 2015. This documentary provides context to Maria's work and tells the remarkable story of the power station's construction. We'll hear from some of the self-styled Tunnel Tigers, workers brought in from around the UK to perform the highly dangerous task of blasting into the rock. We also hear from Elizabeth Falconer - the unknown artist who made a huge mural inside the turbine hall of the power station. Master Rock was commissioned as part of a wider collaboration between Artangel and BBC Radio 4 to find ground-breaking projects from artists working in any medium that will transform the UK's cultural landscape. Producer: Hana Walker-Brown Executive Producer: Joby Waldman A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. The story of Cruachan Power Station and the art it has inspired. A collaboration between the BBC and Artangel, working with artists across the UK. | |
| Master Rock | 20151017 | 20151019 (R4) | Master Rock is a repertoire for a mountain, conceived and written by Maria Fusco, and recorded live inside Cruachan Power Station, sited deep inside one of the highest peaks on the West coast of Scotland. Master Rock is a story composed of three voices and the sound of the mountain, which will be played by French composer Olivier Pasquet. Created through brutal blasting procedures and pioneering technologies, Cruachan Power Station was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 15 October 1965. Since winning a commission from Artangel and Radio 4, Fusco has immersed herself in the history of this extraordinary site, researching the power station's own archive, talking with the people involved in its creation 50 years ago and making field writings in the site. Master Rock is a result of that work and tells the story of the mountain. One of the voices in Master Rock is a Tunnel Tiger, one of the Irish explosive experts who emptied out the mountain so that the power station could be built one mile beneath the newly dammed Cruachan reservoir. Another is the ancient obdurate granite itself, the 450 million year old hard rock of Ben Cruachan. The third voice is Elizabeth Falconer, an unknown artist who made the huge mural inside the turbine hall of the power station. This is the recording of a live performance, staged within the cavernous interior of the mountain. Cast: John Mulholland...........Lalor Roddy Elizabeth Falconer.......Denise Riley Granite........................Ceylan Hay Music / Sound Design: Olivier Pasquet Producer / Director: Maria Fusco Executive Producer: Joby Waldman A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. A repertoire for a mountain, conceived by Maria Fusco, recorded inside a power station. A collaboration between the BBC and Artangel, working with artists across the UK. Master Rock is a repertoire for a mountain, conceived and written by Maria Fusco, and recorded live inside Cruachan Power Station, sited deep inside one of the highest peaks on the West coast of Scotland. Master Rock is a story composed of three voices and the sound of the mountain, which will be played by French composer Olivier Pasquet. Created through brutal blasting procedures and pioneering technologies, Cruachan Power Station was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 15 October 1965. Since winning a commission from Artangel and Radio 4, Fusco has immersed herself in the history of this extraordinary site, researching the power station's own archive, talking with the people involved in its creation 50 years ago and making field writings in the site. Master Rock is a result of that work and tells the story of the mountain. One of the voices in Master Rock is a Tunnel Tiger, one of the Irish explosive experts who emptied out the mountain so that the power station could be built one mile beneath the newly dammed Cruachan reservoir. Another is the ancient obdurate granite itself, the 450 million year old hard rock of Ben Cruachan. The third voice is Elizabeth Falconer, an unknown artist who made the huge mural inside the turbine hall of the power station. This is the recording of a live performance, staged within the cavernous interior of the mountain. Cast: John Mulholland...........Lalor Roddy Elizabeth Falconer.......Denise Riley Granite........................Ceylan Hay Music / Sound Design: Olivier Pasquet Producer / Director: Maria Fusco Executive Producer: Joby Waldman A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. A repertoire for a mountain, conceived by Maria Fusco, recorded inside a power station. A collaboration between the BBC and Artangel, working with artists across the UK. |
| The Quarryman's Daughters | 20150505 | An audio excavation of the island of Portland by artist Katrina Palmer. Since being awarded a commission from Artangel and Radio 4's open call for emerging British artists, Katrina Palmer has based herself on the Isle of Portland in south Dorset to create a major new project on land and on air. The Quarryman's Daughters is the radio element of the project. It tells the story of the Horrocks sisters, eccentric daughters of a dead quarryman who live in two huts on either end of the island. Beginning in the style of an intimate reading enhanced by a spectral soundtrack, the narration is interwoven with the voices of the Horrocks sisters and field recordings from Portland - the swell of the tide, the banging and cutting of quarry work - conveying an unsettling atmosphere. This audio artwork is preceded by a short documentary that explores the historical riches of this unique place. The listener is transported to Portland to hear key chapters from the island's past and to find out why it continues to capture the imagination. Portland has been shaped and hollowed out over centuries by convicts and quarrymen to provide stone for some of London's best-known buildings - one million square feet of Portland stone is said to have been quarried for St Paul's Cathedral. Katrina Palmer has undertaken her own excavations into this elemental place, marked by unsettling absences and deviant goings-on. The other elements in this project are The Loss Adjusters (a site-specific audio walk on Portland), and the book End Matter. Produced by Katrina Palmer and Hana Walker-Brown A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. A collaboration between the BBC and Artangel, working with artists across the UK. |