The Muddy Muddy Mystery Tour was a field trip and low-tech workshop that activated the participants to create mud listening and sensing devices.

In a rapidly changing world, fieldwork is a crucial part of our cultural orientation. It is the practice of making sense between oneself and the landscape. In this field trip, the participants visited several places along the Frisian coastline, known for their dark skies and direct exposure to the elements. The Wadden Sea, as one of the largest tidal planes on the planet, ties together sky and mud. It is exactly in these places where one can strongly sense the rhythms of a tidal region that are governed by interplanetary cycles. What can the mud tell us if we listen to the depths of its mysteries? Artist Cocky Eek conducted a ‘quick and dirty’, low-tech workshop to create mud listening and sensing devices – creating a unique opportunity for an in-depth encounter with the salt-marshes of Marrum. Under the guidance of a local mud guide and equipped with our handmade devices, participants visited the area around the villages of Moddergat and Paezens – to listen in, to, and with the tidal landscape. The workshop was orientated towards artistic practitioners, especially in the fields of sound, listening, ecology, and sensorial experiences.

Cocky Eek (NL) is an artist working on an experimental field and spatial practice encompassing monumental inflatables and lightweight immersive installations.

Part of Re-Imagine Europe: New Perspectives for Action. Co-funded by the European Union.

For enquiries, contact: info@sonicacts.com

Photo: Bora Sekerci