Nunhead Cemetery, SE15

Gormley, Gerard (2019) Nunhead Cemetery, SE15. [Composition]

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Abstract

This project explored the relocation of studio-based instrumental recordings into the acoustic and environmental context of Nunhead Cemetery in Southwark, Southeast London. Using previously recorded performances captured in controlled studio settings, the work investigated how sound is transformed through interaction with landscape, architecture, and environmental soundscapes. Field recordings were undertaken throughout Nunhead Cemetery, one of London’s Victorian ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries and now a recognised nature reserve. Studio recordings were played back through wireless speakers positioned in different areas of the site, including trees, tombstones, and architectural spaces such as the ruined Anglican Chapel. The performances were reintroduced into the live sound environment of the cemetery, interacting with birdsong, wildlife, visitors, aircraft noise, and other ambient sounds present at the site. These encounters were then re-recorded, capturing the ways in which environmental conditions and architectural acoustics reshaped the source material. Particular attention was given to the acoustic properties of the cemetery’s built structures, especially the partially ruined chapel, whose exposed architecture created distinctive resonant and spatial characteristics. The resulting recordings were subsequently recomposed and mixed in the studio using subtle editing processes intended to preserve the sense of spatial listening and environmental immersion experienced at the site. The project forms part of an ongoing practice-based investigation into site-responsive sound, acoustic ecology, spatial listening, and the relationship between recorded sound and place.

Item Type:	Composition
Divisions:	College of Creative Arts, Technology and Engineering > Performing Arts
Depositing User:	Research and Knowledge Exchange Office Admin 1
Date Deposited:	16 Jul 2026 09:34
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2026 09:34
URI:	https://bnu.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/21118

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