In 2010, I was commissioned by ceramic artist Kay Aplin to make an audio work as part of her commission to design a series of sculptures for British Waterways. We ran a number of workshops in sheltered housing projects and as part of an open day by the canal, during which I gathered several hours worth of interviews with local residents who had been employed in the Potteries industry. In addition, I conducted a number of soundwalks along the canal and made a series of binaural field recordings to capture the sound of this historic place.

The resulting audio piece Resonating Canals was made using extracts from these field recordings, manipulated back in my studio to form a musical accompaniment to the voices of the participants. It is the story of a lost industry and a sense of pride in place – a sonic elegy to a bygone age.