My name is Matt Shenton and I am an experimental musician, sound artist and performer whose work explores the rural landscape of Suffolk (with a particular focus on the morphology of working class soundscapes on the Shotley Peninsula). I also consider how capitalism, globalisation and climate change continues to shape the sounds around us, and how conceived notions of the pastoral landscape inform and influence ideas of national identity. 

 

My practice uses manipulated field recordings, homemade and modified instruments, foraged debris and items saved from landfill. I use these sonic ingredients to create textural explorations of timbre with instinctive, chance-based arrangements that mimic the rural soundscape. My work can be experienced at increasing interactive live events with visuals, or through recorded media.

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Soundwork produced under my own name or using the moniker of 'there are no birds here' has been featured on numerous radio stations and programmes, including: Stuart Maconie’s 'Freak Zone' on BBC 6Music, global field recording show 'Framework', Canadian sound art show 'Ears have Eyes', Graham Dunning’s 'Fractal Meat' on NTS,  Zoviet France's 'Duck in a Tree' on Resonance FM and 'radio black_ops' on Camp FR. ​

 

I find the Suffolk soundscape intriguing. The wide, open fields allow the wind to whip and howl across the countryside. The drone of juggernauts trudging along the A14 can be heard for miles. Tidal rivers slap and churn against riverbanks before slicing huge swathes of land clean away. The cranes at Felixstowe pierce the heavens as they clang cargo containers to the ground. Apache helicopters circle overhead.​

 

I am trying to make sense of these sounds, and our place within them.

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