05 Sep 08

During The Magic Hour event new works of art and compositions in the Botantic Garden can be explored at dusk and into the night.

The University of Oxford Botanic Garden has been enjoying a successful but unusual collaboration with an organisation called Oxford Contemporary Music.

The collaboration has resulted in The Magic Hour, an event that started last night (Thursday 4 September) and runs for the next two nights.

Some of the UK’s leading composers, visual artists and sound artists have been getting to know the garden since March 2008. During their time there, and following conversations with gardeners and scientists, they have been inspired to create new works of art and compositions that have been installed in the garden this week.

The project culminates with the three-night sound and light event, during which visitors can explore the garden and its new sonic inhabitants at dusk and into the night, experiencing magical sounds and impromptu performances.

Director of the Botanic Garden, Timothy Walker, said of the first night: ‘This was a terrific event because the Garden is very different after dark and it is wonderful to see people enjoying both the Garden and the magical music.’

The collaboration brings together the old and new, as The University of Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Great Britain while Oxford Contemporary Music (OCM) is one of the UK’s foremost promoters and producers of new music events.

Those involved include sound artist Max Eastley, who was one of the lucky few chosen to accompany a band of scientists to the Arctic to witness the effects of climate change. The trip greatly influenced his work, which combines kinetic sound sculpture and music.

Another participant is Robert Jarvis, whose compositions explore a range of natural phenomenon including insect sounds and the music made from the DNA and amino acid sequences of plants.

Some of the people taking part also worked with schools and community groups to create installations for the September event.

One of the aims of the project is to encourage more visitors to the garden and to celebrate the work of the garden and the wonders of nature. OCM’s director, Jo Ross, said: ‘We hope to offer the artists and the public a kind of process of discovery about the plants and creatures within the garden. There will be the opportunity for the public to take part and to understand something of the process of creation for the artists.’

The Magic Hour takes place on the evenings of the 4th, 5th and 6th of September 2008 and further details are available on the OCM website.