It has been an inspiring collaboration with the composer Andrew Heath. There are more surprises coming but for now a short clip as I was reading ‘The Garden Reveals Itself’, included in Andrew’s latest album The Alchemist’s Muse.
“The Alchemist’s Muse continues Andrew Heath’s exploration of minimalism, textures and sonic artefacts like radio static and mechanical noises. Andrew’s work is process-led – he places exquisite clusters of piano notes and guitar drones among warm layers of electronics and treated field recordings, manipulating the results with both analogue tape machines and digital software.
I leave you to decide who or what are the alchemist and their muse.”
There is also this text… that I will use to create a post at the same time… and is about the actual track.
The Garden Reveals Itself (night mix)
The Garden Reveals Itself (night mix), is a completely different version of the same title from Andrew’s album, ‘Evenfall’. Of course, again the title refers to the poem by Maria Stadnika however, here on ‘The Alchemist’s Muse’, the work is warmer, darker and far more intimate as Maria whispers her words directly into your ears.
“I have long admired the work of Romanian born poet, Maria Stadnika and we collaborated together on ‘The Garden Reveals Itself’ from my earlier album, ‘Evenfall’. When I recorded Maria, I also asked her to create a whispered version of her poem. I love the sound and thought of a very intimate voice so close to you. As I was working on the music for this track, it occurred to me that it had a very close, warm sound. As though you were wrapped in blankets in the deep, still dark of night. It was an obvious next step to merge the two and create a ‘night mix’ for her stunning piece.”
The Alchemist’s Muse is available as a CD as well as download here.
Mark Mawer is a painter based in Goodwick, Pembrokeshire. Over the past forty years he has exhibited regularly in the UK and abroad, and has work in private collections. He worked as a lecturer at Stroud School of Art and on the BA Hons Visual Arts at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education. He retired from teaching in 2013 but continues to work from his studio on the West Wales Coast.
Andrew Morrison is a book artist and letterpress printer who makes hand-made, limited edition books. His work is in many national collections including The British Library, the Tate, the Southbank and British Council special collections. He has lectured widely in the UK, most recently at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham. His workshop is currently based near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Further information about his work can be accessed at 
John Stadnicki is a photographer and lecturer at SGS College (previously Stroud School of Art, Lansdown). He has been seriously involved in photography since 1981 and completed his MFA in Documentary Photography at the University of Wales in 2008. His photography reveals and reflects the human unease in the socio-political landscape. John still uses film in most of his work.
Maria Stadnicka is a writer, editor and freelance journalist based in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. She is currently a PhD researcher at University of the West of England, Bristol. Her writing explores social identity, cultural theory and the ethics of memory. She is the author of Somnia (2020, KFS Press, UK), The Unmoving (2018, Broken Sleep Books, UK), Imperfect (2017, Yew Tree Press, UK) and the forthcoming poetry-documentary collection Buried Gods Metal Prophets (2021, Guillemot Press, UK). She recently performed her work at Edinburgh Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, Oxford University, Tears in the Fence Poetry Festival. Further information about her work can be accessed at 
Maria Stadnicka 