Murmuration

'Murmuration' is a musical poem inspired by and written for Baraya Barray - Whale Song by Luke Patterson. Reflecting on this piece, Luke says:

Poetry and music are like perceptual magic tricks. They’re very good at readjusting the way we perceive space, time, memory, even ourselves. For the most part, I’m only a respectful observer of Whale Songline, but what I notice, what I feel from those stories is a kind of depth, a voluminous, intergenerational and intercontinental complexity. They also remind me that the body is a musical instrument, a connecting apparatus, a resonating creature that can either move in harmony, or in disharmony with its environment. The tone poem ‘Murmuration’ is a sonic exploration of light and sound refracted through oceanic motifs, temporal shifts and echoes from the Order of Cetacea. Murmurations are most often used to describe the synchronized flight of flocking birds. In this context, I’ve tried to consider the multitudinous vocal and non-vocal beings/languages/messages that make up the whole-creature called Country. I’ve tried to imagine a sensory experience beyond-the-human where the brain reaches out to think through Country.

Poetry comes in many forms. It is found in a beautiful sunset, in the melodies sung by whales, in feet stomping Country in dance, in the colours and patterns across a canvas and in the relationships with have with eachother and Country.