Composition by Caroline Grimshaw & António Sá-Dantas.
"Our piece is an audio representation of the sense of irrelevancy and obsolescence that an individual may feel in a world that no longer recognises the value associated with that individual. The sound of a manual typewriter is our point of commencement and the concept of communicating through letters a message that can have far-reaching consequences, is the narrative of the soundscape.
"The rhythm of the keys being struck and the repetitive carriage return are intertwined with alternative sounds of written communication, including handwriting with a quill and the sounds of a computer being used to convey a message. The spoken word is inspired by fragments of typewritten words, discovered by chance. ‘Two-minute warning’ and ‘failing light’ suggest impending doom and ultimate fragility.
"Using a mechanical voice gives the message a sense of dispassionate finality. Beneath the vocals and the frantic missive-making, there is a
