A binaural audio experience exploring Kashmiri mythology, intergenerational memory and the migration stories connecting the valley to Northern England. The work places listeners inside the perspective of a blind British Kashmiri woman learning to hear her grandmother's stories anew – funny fragments, silly asides, tales that never quite made sense.
The narrative weaves together Kashmir's three creation traditions:
Hindu – Sage Kashyapa praying the prehistoric lake to drain
Buddhist – Monk Madhyantika meditating until the waters recede
Muslim – Prophet Solomon commanding jinn to shape the land
Historical figures including the mystic poet Lal Ded speak from springs and reservoirs, while a mysterious guide - who followed the grandmother on her journey to Dewsbury's mills – gently reminds the listener that they already know these voices. They always have.
The soundscape moves from the lake to the train, the ship, the mill, the terraced street - each layer a sediment of memory.
Current status:
Full narrative script in development
Place-maker partnerships in development with Apna Heritage
Technical approach: Spatial audio design for binaural headphones, with potential gaze-contingent rendering using eye-tracking XR headsets