My recordings are completed, my equipment has been checked, and my small army of volunteers is now organized: it's time to reveal "How to Say," my first audio installation, for Nocturne 2015.

Each location has a unique collection of recordings relating to their chosen location. The recordings are the traces of a sort of speaking game where pairs of speakers were asked, simply, to imitate the sound their partner made, as faithfully as possible. The words used in each round reflect the speaker's idea of Halifax. Eventually, sound and meaning become detached. Meaning speakers originally convey is no longer contained by the sounds of the utterances; it drifts into the negotiation between the speakers. Where the assumed meaning is lost in the words, a new meaning may be found in the relationship between speakers.

My piece will be installed at six locations around the festival. You can listen at any of these locations on headphones.

Halifax Waterfront (Queens Landing Pedestrian Bridge)
Dartmouth Ferry Terminal Park (just south of Alderney Landing)
North Branch Memorial Library--outdoor bench
Halifax Central Library--outdoor bench
North Park/Cunard Roundabout
North Park/Cogswell Roundabout

And I am happy to report that not only will this work be installed at all these locations, but it will live on long past the festival as a free app for Android devices on Google Play Store. (iOS version to come later.) You can download it here.