We’re incredibly proud to share the story behind The Siren and Sea, a very special creative project inspired by the pioneering work of Daphne Oram.
Working with the Daphne Oram Trust and AMP Music, we brought together eight young people from Bentham and North Craven for a series of creative sessions exploring Daphne Oram’s archive, her pioneering approach to electronic music, and the possibilities of sound.
The project was led by the brilliant Sophie Cooper and Grace Knill, who supported the group to explore, listen, experiment and create their own response to Daphne’s work.
From archive to imagination
The young people began by exploring and listening to material from the Daphne Oram archive. Rather than simply learning about electronic music history, they were encouraged to think about how sounds could create feelings, images and stories.
This became the starting point for something completely their own.
The group decided to create a stop-motion film, developing a story inspired by the sounds they were discovering. Through their ideas and imagination, The Siren and Sea began to take shape.
Along the way, the young people experimented with recording their own sounds, live mixing, music production and manipulating recordings to create something new. They explored how everyday sounds could be transformed into music and how sound could tell a story in its own right.
They even created an original song, Siren, which was recorded and mixed live alongside instrumental music and their own musique concrète-inspired sound pieces.
The result is a beautiful five-minute stop-motion film with an entirely original soundtrack, bringing together the young people’s voices, sounds, music and visual storytelling.
A new generation responding to Daphne’s legacy
What makes this project so special is that the young people weren’t simply recreating or responding to Daphne Oram’s work they were taking inspiration from her pioneering ideas and making them their own.
Daphne was fascinated by the possibilities of sound and technology, and by the idea of creating music in new and unexpected ways. Decades later, these young creatives were given the opportunity to experiment with those same ideas, using contemporary creative tools and their own imaginations.
The result is a new piece of work that connects Daphne’s heritage with the creativity of a new generation.
Celebrating the young people
Most importantly, this project was about giving young people space to explore, experiment and create.
All of the participants told us that they had learned about Daphne Oram, enjoyed the activities, developed new skills and would take part in another creative session with us.
The project also provided an inclusive creative space, with participants bringing a range of experiences and needs into the sessions. Through music, sound, film-making and collaboration, they were able to work together, try new things and contribute their own ideas to a shared final piece.
We’re incredibly proud of what they created.
A lasting legacy
From Daphne Oram’s archive to the imaginations of eight young people in North Craven, The Siren and Sea is a wonderful example of how heritage can spark new creativity.
We’re so proud of the young people who took part and of the skills, ideas and creativity they brought to the project. We’re also incredibly grateful to Sophie Cooper, the Daphne Oram Trust and AMP Music for helping make this opportunity possible.
We hope you enjoy watching The Siren and Sea as much as we enjoyed watching it come to life.
Here’s to Daphne Oram; and to the next generation of creative sound-makers, storytellers and innovators inspired by her legacy.
