Page 176 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book

Illustrator Ruby Wright was commissioned to draw the improvisation sessions

where ASMF musicians and RAM students worked with participants from The
Connection at St Martin's. (Image courtesy of ASMF)

This process continued in the recording sessions for the SoundWalk, says Walduck,
when two group members recorded a melody they had created together on

glockenspiels. ‘A third member arrived with yet another song they had written
during the week, and it is testament to the mutual trust and creativity within the
team that we were able to realise this song beautifully, within a short window of
studio time, conducted by a fourth group member.’

The result is a commentary that brings to life the imagined stories of this historic
area of central London, encouraging visitors to look up and around. The bricks and
windows of the mansion blocks and public buildings are older than any of us – what
have they seen? Who are the strangers who find themselves sitting next to one
another on the benches in the tranquil garden of The Actors’ Church? Where have
they been and where are they going? Who are the creatures that share the city with

us? Gould says that inviting participants in the writing workshops to see the area
from the perspective of a fox or a pigeon enabled them to describe and reflect upon
experiences which they might not have been able to discuss from their own points of
view. One of the most vivid moments of the whole process for her came on launch
day when everyone walked the route together and one of the writers delightedly
recognised their own words, read by actor David Ogundare, as they passed through
the space.