Tweed

Musical composition/sound art

The voices and recordings in 'Tweed' were recorded over a number of visits to the Outer Hebrides, remote islands off the North west coast of Scotland. The first voice, of weaver Catherine Campbell, was recorded in her weaving shed and shop in Plocrapool, on the east coast of Harris. She is proud of her independent status as a weaver who “doesn't work for the mill” but works for herself. The next voice heard was recorded in a weaving shed near Callinish on Lewis in 1998 as the weaver tried to show me and my friend how to us the Hattersley loom. Threaded in are various atmospheres, voices and mechanical sounds from mill at Shawbost, Lewis recorded in 2006 just as it was about to be sold. As well as the various machines for the washing, drying, dying and spinning of the yarn the weavers are heard explaining some of the physical elements of weaving many of which form spatial templates for the treatment of the recorded material in the composition.
'Tweed' is part of the longer work entitled the 'Hebridean Suite'.