Where Now A Dark Wood Stands

!Pledging - Please Read!

Creative Scotland are doubling one donation per donor for this project. Please note - only your first pledge will be matched. 

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THE PROJECT

The project involves taking a piano into a timber plantation. The performance of a new composition will be filmed by expert film-maker Hugh Carswell. The film will combine music and words written by myself, and the poem will be read by the brilliant Scottish folk musician, Julie Fowlis.

So why am I doing this? I have always been fascinated by the relationship between humans and nature. At the heart of nature lies complexity, abundance and beauty; three qualities that are missing within hundreds of thousands of acres of UK timber plantations. It is most evident in Scotland, where around 16% of the landmass is covered in what is termed 'non-native' tree species (with only 4% being 'native'). The majority of these forests are managed in a way that produces a maximum output of timber. The result is a dense mass of identical trees that are capable of supporting very little life. They are 'clear felled' across huge areas, scarring the landscape, compromising soil health and even increasing the risk of disease for the next generation of trees. I find they are often depressing places to be, and I see them as an uncomfortable example of how we take what we need from nature without giving much back. Wood is a valuable resource, and forests can be grown and managed in ways that not only produce timber, but also builds health, beauty and diversity, rather than taking it away.

Things are improving, but my concern is that it's very slow. In a time when we recognise the desperate need for biodiversity, and in spite of known and healthier alternatives (as practised in European and Scandinavian countries) these monocultures are still being planted on a vast scale; old ones are being largely replaced with much of the same, and open hillsides are still being drained and planted with endless tightly packed rows of spruce trees.

I want to bring music into the heart of these woods, to talk about them in a way that only music can. Combined with poetry and expert film-making, I hope to raise awareness of this issue in a unique and powerful way. Ultimately I want the film to express hope - in recent years there has been an explosion of projects seeking to restore biodiversity to Scotland, and I do believe that the tide has turned against these monocultures, and that...

One day,

A place of light and life

Will be

Where now a dark wood stands.

Please pledge your support and help us to tell this story.

Who will be joining me in this project?

Hugh Carswell: I am delighted to be working once again with Hugh, who created my video for Song of the Evening. As well as being a musician himself, Hugh is an intuitive and extremely talented film-maker, and is wonderful at telling stories through images. He has made countless films over the years, working more recently with the Scottish String Ensemble and international trumpeter star Alison Balsom. 

Julie Fowlis: Julie is a multi-award winning singer whose music is deeply influenced by the Hebridean islands where she grew up and by the Highland landscapes where she now resides. A winner of ‘Folk Singer of the Year’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Julie has graced stages around the world, from village halls in the Highlands to Carnegie Hall in New York. Julie will be the voice behind the poem that will be woven in-between the music. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

The funds will go towards:

• Recording the newly composed piano music in a studio
• Shooting and editing the film
• Transporting an upright piano to and from a plantation wood. 

About Alexander

Ten years into his career, Alexander's music has become well known within the UK and beyond. Described as a 'glimpse of something new', his work has been aired on BBC Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and ClassicFM, and has been used extensively across TV. Born into a family of artists, Alexander grew up in rural Scotland and now lives and composes in the North-East Highlands.

Contact

For all enquiries, please contact: [email protected]