Testing the acoustics of empty M1 power station's cooling towers with a bass clarinet
Cooling towers crafted for a power station along the M1 corridor have been a familiar part of the skyline since they were built back in the 1960s.
Now as they are decommissioned the famous towers become the setting instead for a rather special musical performance.
They have wonderful acoustics, said Sarah Watts from the University of Sheffield, teaming up with fellow composer Elizabeth Kelly to create a musical tribute.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar cooling towers, she adds, make for an unusual stage.
“I wanted to create music that documented the building, the acoustics, the history and the story of the cooling towers," said Dr Watts, a composer and bass clarinet specialist.
"I think people document places like this through photographs, interviews, film footage, but I took this as a chance to document the acoustics because they are very unique and once these have gone there is no way of getting that back.”
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station was the UK's last coal-fired plant, which closed in September last year after 57 years of operation.
The output from the site was once enough to supply all of the East Midlands' region. Now its cooling towers, standing 114m tall, are scheduled for demolition in the next five years.
Matt Peck, who is leading the decommissioning, said: "We're used to walking around the cooling towers and listening to water falling. It's a nice sound to hear.
"It was very strange when that stopped. To get a request to play a musical instrument in there, I was intrigued to hear what that was going to sound like."
Dr Watts, Director of Performance at the University of Sheffield, visited the site in March. With Prof Kelly, a Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nottingham, their works now are dedicated to the workers of Ratcliffe, past and present. And to the communities who have lived alongside, with these eight towers dominating the skyline.
Dr Watts' tribute, after speaking with workers, is called ‘It’s All I’ve Known’. Prof Kelly's piece, Cooling Cathedral, explores the "exceptional" resonance of the industrial space.
With the percussive sounds of Dr Watts' bass clarinet it echoes across the space, with a melody that blends into harmonies as the music unfolds.
Prof Kelly said: “My piece was inspired by the incredible acoustic in the cooling towers. The extraordinary resonance of the space reminded me of a cathedral.”
Sean Atton is site manager, at the base owners by Uniper.
“Having these pieces of music recorded in the cooling towers, whilst they are still standing, is just fantastic," he said. "It’s another unique way of remembering these structures.”
And it was all recorded by another Professor at the University of Sheffield, Adrian Moore, who has captured an immersive 3D "soundscape", trying to share the depth and scale.
“You want to capture the instrument, but at the same time capture the ambience," he said.
"As there are very few man-made spaces, which are so enveloping yet open to the sky, it makes the event a unique experience."
Music videos for the two works, as well as a video exploring the making of the project, have been published on the University of Nottingham’s YouTube channel.