Dawns Meyn an Piberes is a 8 minute and 39 second film documenting both the sites and direct audio of The Merry Maidens and Pipers standing stones of West Penwith in Cornwall, UK. The film is both a document of the sites and an attempt to capture the essence of how one might encounter these unique ancient monuments. The film's audio is taken from the extensive body of recordings made in 2024 whilst working with the subjects of the film. 'Dawns Meyn' (Dancing Stones) is the original Cornish name of The Merry Maidens stone circle and 'an Piberes', is Cornish for The Pipers. Dawns Meyn an Piberes continues the series of films shot in 4k collating this continued research and body of audio captured at Neolithic sites across the UK.
'Gate' is a lidar scan animation with audio centring on the entrance standing stones situated at Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick in the Lake District UK. The Audio soundtrack is drawn from field recordings made in February 2023 capturing the resonance from the stones themselves. Typical of Vivian's films, this work showcases his unique archeoacoustics method employed as part of a UK and Europe wide project which began in January 2023, digital scans of these stones were undertaken in March 2023. This Neolithic site was built during the Neolithic period 3000 BC, 30 metres in diameter the circle originally contained 42 standing stones, 38 are present today. The scans in the film are from stones that act as an assumed entrance to the circle
'Elder Tree' is a 4k colour short film, Its soundtrack is made up of edited field recordings Vivian made at the Boscawen Un site in July 2024. The film documents this Stone Circle located near St Buryan, West Penwith, Cornwall. In native Cornish, its name translates as 'The pasture of the farmstead at the elderberry tree'. The structure dates from the early Bronze Age. William Camden the 16th Century antiquarian described the circle '...in a place called Biscaw Woune are nineteen stones, twelve feet from each other, and in a circle stands one much larger than the rest', this central stone plays a key role in this film.
Nine Stone Close 2024
Digital Video 6 mins 54 secs
Filmed in Harthill Moor, Peak District UK
This is a work that documents Nine Stone Close and its location, Harthill Moor in Derbyshire UK. The film utilises audio recorded between February 2023 and January 2024 directly from the four Neolithic Stones at Nine Stone Close.
Avebury Sanctuary Complex 2024
Digital Video 7 mins 17 secs
Filmed in Avebury, Wiltshire
Audio edited from recordings made directly from the neolithic standing stones at Avebury Stone Circle. Avebury Cove, and West Kennett Avenue. Field recordings made for this work were completed between April and May 2023.
Swinside 2024
Digital Video 6 mins 22 secs
Filmed in the Lake District, UK
Swinside is a film that documents the landscape and stone circle at Swinside, near Black Combe, Southern Lake District UK. The audio is taken from field recordings made directly from the standing stones that form the circle. This is part of a wider project applying a unique form of archeoacoustics to Neolithic stone circles and standing stones in the UK and Europe. This edited film reflects the animism and non-human agency of the site emphasised through the sonorous audio captured from April - May 2024
Nine Stones is a looped video work with lidar scanned standing stones from Nine Stones Close near Matlock, Derbyshire UK. The Soundtrack is comprised of audio captured from the four stones located at the site. Nine Stones Close is a remnant of a 4500 year old Neolithic stone circle. The stones are the some of the largest examples of Neolithic standing stones within the county. This film uses lidar scanning technology creating a digital membrane of each artificially recreating the physicality of the four stones.
Colour, Audio Digital Video 6 mins 15 secs
Ambient audio recorded at Doll Tor and immediate landscape
3D motion capture, Audio, Digital Video, Colour, B/W 6 mins 15 secs
Audio recorded from each of the six standing stones at Doll Tor, Stanton Moor, Peak District
Projection, Film, Speakers, Guitar Amplifiers, Leads, Trestle Tables,
Audio recorded directly from the largest Neolithic stone at Avebury Cove, Wiltshire April 2023.