The Sound Weaver's Incantation [Cities and Memory]

Sometimes magic finds you when you least expect it. That's exactly what happened when, among the many sounds from the Pitt Rivers Museum, I stumbled upon a recording of a night forest in the Central African Republic. I was immediately drawn to the sound because it felt magical. Without even reading the description to know the background of the sound, where it came from or how it came about, I selected it as a basis for my creation, trusting my intuition to guide me toward something special.

The Sound Weaver's Incantation is part of Cities and Memory's A Century of Sounds,an ambitious project celebrating the Pitt Rivers Museum's extraordinary audio heritage. This global collaboration brings together artists, collectors, and listeners to reimagine historical and contemporary field recordings, creating new sonic landscapes that honour the past while embracing the present.

As an artist who often searches through recorded sounds for inspiration to tell personal stories, I expected this to be just another backdrop for my reflections. But this time it ended up being different. As I began reading about the origin of the sound, chosen purely for its magical quality, I found myself lost in the discovery of a real-life hero.

I met legendary ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno – a fantastic human being who devoted his entire life to the collection, protection, and conservation of the sounds and culture of the Bayaka people. From that moment, I knew I couldn't simply use the rainforest sound as a backdrop for my personal musings. I felt the profound need to bring back to life the magic of the forest and the love and passion that Louis Sarno poured into his life's work.

Through this piece, I hope to honour Louis Sarno's legacy and the enduring magic of the Bayaka sounds he so lovingly preserved. In a world where so many cultural voices are at risk of being silenced, this incantation serves as both tribute and promise – that with patience, reverence, and a touch of magic, the music of life shall never die.

Photo by Jack Taylor on Unsplash

What is Art, in all the wrong places?

Characters who can't always be trusted. Because they often don't see the difference between sound and noise, between countryside and abandoned building, between fiction and reality.
I explore sound, speak languages and talk to strangers. This is my work.
AIR Member. www.cristinamarras.com

The sound weaver's incantation

for capturing and preserving the sounds of life.

Ingredients

Three threads from a Bayaka polyphonic lullaby

gathered during moonlit nights.

A drop of tears of joy from a Bayaka wedding ceremony

for sweetness of celebration.

A pinch of dust from the rainforest floor

where music was born

for clarity of origin.

Seven echoes of morning dew drops

falling on leaves.

The sound of the rainforest awakening.

A single feather from the hornbill

that inspired countless Bayaka chants

for connection to nature.

A whisper of your first word spoken in reverence

for personal connection to the sounds.

Instructions

Sit quietly at dawn or dusk

when the veil between worlds is thin.

Hold the ingredients in your palm

and speak the incantation.

"By threads of song and rain so pure

let sound endure and time obscure.

What was murmured now shall remain

throughout the turning night and day

like Sarno's ear that listened long

to voices strong where they belong.

With patient heart and watchful eye

music of life never shall die."

Now, after the incantation

as you weave the threads together

while thinking of the acoustic memories

you wish to preserve

create these sound effects.

Ripple effect

Cup your hands around the woven creation

and produce a shearing sound with your fingers.

Reverb

Hold the threads at different distances

from your ear to generate spatial effect.

Distortion

Gently pull and release the threads

to construct subtle variations in tone.

Delay

Repeat the final verse with a slight pause

between lines.

Now, place the woven creation

in a small safe container.

Let it rest under the light of your chosen sounds

for one night

adding one final sound effect.

A gentle hum that gradually fades

to the distant voice of a child

immersed in night chatter with their mother.

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