David Littler

Sonic Visual Artist and Curator

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A Forest

In the summer of 2021 as we came out of lockdown following the Coronavirus pandemic, I curated a project with Orb Community Arts: a creative mental health charity based in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

We invited a number of artists whose work explores our connection with nature to work with a group of participants from Orb. Over the summer we explored the Nidd Gorge, a beautiful woodland which once formed part of the ancient Forest of Knaresborough. We walked, wrote, foraged, drew, listened and recorded as we ventured through the forest and alongside the River Nidd, stopping to rest at pebbly / sandy beaches and woodland glades.

This film captures some of those adventures, reflecting on our experience of spending time together creating, whilst discussing the benefits taking part had for our wellbeing.

The commissioned artists were: Rachael Kidd (drawing), Ania Bas (walking and writing), Jason Singh (sound), Becky Mears (foraging), and Rachel Clark (mindfulness).

The Orb artists were John, Sheila, Jo, Carol, Joanne, Andy, Rebecca, Marissa, Naomi and Anita.

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Scotton Drive. We sang a song in the snow. A cover version of Vashti Bunyan’s track If I were. We first performed this track last year when we were In Session for Jericho Keys’ BBC Introducing radio show for York and North Yorkshire. So, we thought we’d do another version. Vocal, music box, dulcimer and guitar.

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I have a new single out as Scotton Drive.

Short Loop: a collaboration with Astrid Walker (vocals) and Julian Walker (guitar). Recorded on the Isle of Skye. Produced by Hector MacInnes.

Out Now on Spotify, Apple Music, etc..or you can buy the digital download on my bandcamp page.

Created by sampling and chopping up various punch card music box patterns from a traditional Bedfordshire lace pattern.

cover design by David Littler and Julian Walker. Sample of a Bedfordshire Lace pattern.

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Delighted to be asked to perform alongside Bell Lungs for @soundsforasmallspace at the Garden Pavilion in Stroud. I’ll be doing a solo set with punchcards, music boxes and other wind up machines. Going to be fun.

Tickets available via Eventbrite

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Edit version of The Doffing Mistress Takes A Stroll.

Filmed by Ernie Woods in the wonderful 17th Century Airton Friends’ Meeting House. Malhamdale. Yorkshire. April 19.

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Live version of The Doffing Mistress (Takes a Stroll). Scotton Drive EP Launch Event @ Airton Friends’ Meeting House. April 2019.

Full playlist of the performances from the whole evening is available on You Tube here: scottondriveeplaunch

I decided to hold an event to mark the launch of my Scotton Drive EP. I hunted down the wonderful 17th Century Airton Friends’ Meeting House and Barn in Malhamdale, Yorkshire.  A beautiful, simple and intimate space with wooden paneling and benches decked with local sheepwool seaters. I wanted a small space that invited and celebrated listening, solice and the quiet.

Rather than just perform solo, I wanted to use the opportunity to try out some new collaborations. So, I invited composer and cellist Laura Reid, vocalist and musician Astrid  Walker and musician Julian Walker to join me.  I wanted to create new versions of the pieces on the EP which allowed each artist to add their voice to the originals, so taking them in a new direction. Alongside our collaborative pieces, they each performed solo and in duets. The sound flowed through traditional songs, to dreamscapes, summer soundscapes and tales of the sea to a piece on soliloquy. Combining acoustic, mechanical and digital instruments: music boxes, cello, electronics, live sampling, voice, dulcimer, guitar and resonator.

A beautiful, memorable early evening in the Yorkshire Dales among an audience of 30 people and a wonderful and low key way to mark the launch of the EP.

With huge thanks to the performers for having the interest and openness to take part; to Simon and everyone at Airton Friends’ Meeting House for enabling this event to take place; to Mark Flood for the sound and light, and Ernie Wood Music and Pictures (and his team and Andy Fretwell) for the films.

This was made possible with the support of the Arts Council England through its Developing Your Creative Practice Award Scheme.

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Delighted to release my first solo EP “Scotton Drive”.

3 soundscapes uniting my work with punch-cards, textile patterns, textile folk songs, music boxes and field recordings exploring ideas of solitude and daydreaming.

A limited edition of 100 CD’s. Mixed and Mastered by Hector MacInnes at Outboard. Cover design by myself and Julian Walker at Chihuahua Design Studio. With additional thanks to Jason Singh and Andy Fretwell.

Also available on I-tunes or your favourite streaming service: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer or Tidal.

The project has been made possible through the support of the Arts Council England’s “Developing Your Creative Practice” Fund.

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A new live version of The Doffing Mistress Takes A Stroll created especially for, and performed at, Lotto Zero in Prato Italy. March 2019. Part of my ongoing series: Travels With a Music Box started in 2008.Created using paper punch cards containing two textile folk songs "The Doffing Mistress" and "Lace Tell - Nineteen Long Lines" and a lace pattern played through a music box mounted on a wooden box. Sampled and manipulated live with Ableton Live. Contact mic, violin bow, comb and metal ruler plus dissolvable Vitamin C Tablets, a glass and a hydrophone. Lace Pattern for a cuff punched into Tenori On to build the piano section in the middle of the piece. Greylag Geese field recording by David Littler.With thanks to all the Lotto Zero Crew.A version of this piece will feature on my first solo 3-Track CD "Scotton Drive" due out April 2019. Kindly supported by the Arts Council England through its Developing Your Creative Practice Grant Scheme.

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I’m holding a special preview evening to mark the launch of my new solo promo CD “Scotton Drive”. An informal and intimate affair in a beautiful 17th Century Quaker Meeting House in Airton, Malhamdale, Yorkshire.

Alongside solo pieces, the evening will feature special guests: Laura Reid (composer and cellist); Julian Walker (guitar and resonator) and Astrid Walker (voice, guitar and dulcimer). They will perform a selection of their own work, then together we will create new versions of the three tracks from my CD.

The event is invite only, as the venue only holds 30 people. So, if you would like to attend please RSVP to [email protected] so I can reserve you a place.It’s going to be a special evening.

The event will be filmed.

Supported by the Arts Council England through its Developing Your Creative Practice Grant Scheme.

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Basme Vol V - A Winter Tonic

My annual mix to mark the winter solstice.

Click photo for link.

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When I say I love the silence, I'm not being entirely truthful. What I actually love are the abundant, delicate sounds that amplify when I'm silent. These curious creaks, mutters, and hums compel my imagination.

― Richelle E. Goodrich, Making Wishes

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New research. On Solitude.

I’m delighted to have been among those selected in the first round of Arts Council England’s new Developing Your Creative Practice awards.

The grant will provide me with some much needed space to research, experiment, trial, create and promote new solo sound works exploring the subject of Solitude.

I’ve started a sketchbook blog for my ideas and experiments. Follow it here: On Solitude

The project is supported using public funds through the Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice scheme. You can find out more about this and other ACE schemes here: ACE

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IGEN - Sonic Perambulation, Knaresborough. Radio Edit

At the end of June 2017, I was invited by Orb Community Arts to lead a one day sound recording session (a sonic perambulation around Knaresborough in North Yorkshire) with a wide range of people from

At the end of June, I was invited by Orb Community Arts to lead a one day sound recording session (a sonic perambulation around Knaresborough in North Yorkshire) with a wide range of people from creative arts charities based in York, Lewisham, Leeds and Knaresborough. The participants walked around the town, listening to the environment and recording a variety of sounds as they navigated their way through the narrow ginnels and streets, into key locations like the castle top, the station, a church and under the viaduct alongside the river Nidd. On returning we worked together to create collective consequence poems as a way of reflecting on the activity.You can here a selection of the participants’ recordings and their experiences of the day as part of this radio show broadcast the following day from Chapel FM in Leeds (approx 30 minutes into the show - although I highly recommend you listen to the entire broadcast to get a better understanding of the whole project and the activities in London and elsewhere in Yorkshire. Click on the orange link above to listen.

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Ashmolean Live Friday: Supersonic

On 3 March 2017 OCM partnered with The Ashmolean Museum and the University of Oxford Music Faculty to present Supersonic Live Friday - a visual and sonic adventure.

Last March, Oxford Contemporary Music invited Nathaniel Mann, Stewart Easton and I to create a new performance as part of SuperSonic Live Friday night event at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Crammed into a room with large scale tapestries and Stradivarious violins suspended in glass cabinets we invited the audience to play Stewart’s embroideries as we responded to the space and imagery, weaving in traditional textile songs of lace-making and weaving. Click on the orange link above to watch the video

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Stella line up for sampler-cultureclash this coming Saturday 18 March. Tickets available here: Churches Conservation Trust #samplingstswithuns

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This Friday evening 3rd March, Ashmolean, Oxford. Delighted to be performing at this with Nathaniel Mann.