麻豆社

March 2020, and lockdown descends on the city of Bristol. Shops shut, traffic dries up, and people stay home. The streets fall silent. Until, suddenly: SOUND.

Music, floating above the hush, cutting through the birdsong in the city centre. A haunting, ethereal song winds its way through the quiet streets. Heads pop out of windows, people emerge blinking onto balconies. But what is it? And where is it coming from?

Should you be curious enough to head out, and follow the tendrils of sound as they bounce off the surrounding buildings, you might be able to find something slightly extraordinary. A sculpture around a foot high, made of conch shells, spinning gently, pumping out waves of gentle music. You share confused glances with others who've also been drawn over. Smiles, frowns, laughter. A small piece of wonder and mystery, in the height of the pandemic.

And if you look carefully, you might spot a man on the periphery of this scene. Inconspicuously dressed, tousled grey hair. There, but not really there. This is John, and the curious musical sculpture is his doing. A lifelong artist, John's spent his days battling to insert moments of wonder and creativity into his life, while also balancing the demands of a day-job, a wife and a son. Suddenly furloughed in the Spring of 2020, he found himself in a position he'd never been in before: he had time. And freedom. Space, to create. And he experienced a growing urge to do SOMETHING to help all the people trapped indoors, alone and frightened.

So began a year of an extraordinary art project; a man on a mission, armed with nothing but a bag of shells, a mini-rig and good vibrations, and a journey through dark times, back into the light.

Presented by Grace Dent
Produced by Emily Knight in Bristol for 麻豆社 Audio