Childhood and future

An exploration of the Park’s past, present and imagined future through the eyes and ears of children, chronicling the succession of rusty roundabouts, sledges and hoverboards around a pool that never again turns to ice.

This soundscape incorporates nostalgic recollections gathered through interviews with local people, weather sounds and poetry inspired by the Park and recreated by the children of Park Hill Primary School.

 

The Disintergrated round about

The Disintergrated round about with its nails and wood sticking out Hurt Children
its bits missing oldest kids spinning , young ones crying,
The Disintergrated round about had its own voice, it talked,
It Squeeked, it groaned and shouted like the swans.

We swung on large unsafe planks and Bathed in silence,
no football  for the frozen boys
Who slid from the meadow onto a thin ice  through rhododendron bushes as Fathers laid on the bellies trying to retrieve a renegade  sledge.

Melted Ice hoarding  the old runners from the sledges in the belly of  the lake,
Springs Intense cacophony of 30 Canadian geese silenced by the Swans all but 6 brave geese stayed , the brave geese attacked the children

The nocturnal children with nets for tiny fish hiding from  owls and foxes,
Will never be forgotten.

Past

Children in rags throwing rocks at bumblebees
No security , No Cars , Playing Hopscotch in polite fog

Birds singing in old houses
Tandem bikes and banging cart wheels and Wolves

Poor people making rich people’s houses
No Respect for the 1916 children who had to go to work

Picnics of rope and wood with  butterflies and foxes
The children were alone and the rich men wore  fancy clothes

Future

Spoilt children stealing 200 flowers on simulated grass and fake breeze
Hoverboards stuck in trees , there will be no gates but Special keys
The lake will be so warm it no longer will freeze
Tons of animals will be in danger and technology will kill bees

There will be no work, there will be no school
The flying cars will be trapped in the drained waterless pool
The children will be like Well behaved droids with flying shoes
Running from Robot robbers with artificial integlligence tattoos

No one might come to the park any more
No one might come to the park any more
No one might come to the park any more
No one might come to the park any more

 

“it is in the interest of residents of Moseley that this beauty spot be preserved for this and future generations”