For Ear Sake

UNKLE - The Heretics' Gate (2011)

Genres: Ambient, Modern Classical

Have you ever been fond of a soundtrack just as much as the film? Well, that's what this Soundtrack post represents. This post is a detail of both films and soundtracks I enjoy.

Doug Foster (the artist behind The Heretics' Gate artwork) and UNKLE joined forces to create a visual and musical masterpiece for the Daydreaming With… St Michael’s exhibition that took place at at St. Michael’s church in Camden, London. The relationship between the two artists began when James Lavelle (leading member from UNKLE and curator of the Daydreaming With… exhibition) came across Doug Foster's installation of The Heretic’s Gate. Here's what Foster had to say about Lavelle in an interview pertaining to how their relationship and the score came-to-be:

"He found it (the Heretics' Gate installation) quite magical and we had a meeting and talked about doing something together for the “Daydreaming” project. So I asked him whether he would actually consider doing the soundtrack, to expand on what was there, and he was keen to do that and put it into this church show he’s doing in Camden quite soon. I had some music we put together for the Hell’s Half Acre show and he took that, remixed it all and changed it into a much more rounded and expanded soundtrack."

UNKLE - The Heretics' Gate

The score for the Heretics' Gate installation contains a single track with a duration of 13 minutes. It seemed lacking at first, but after researching the release further, it all made sense. Some described the release as atmospheric noise not worth the listen, but the dark yet calming sounds perfectly complimented the artwork it represents. I also found it interesting that this project brought forth a perspective of hell not too many people hear or see. The image of hell is never pleasant. Most individuals view hell as being an unholy place full of pain, suffering, and anguish. However, even though their image is still dark, Foster and Lavelle brought forth a tranquil image of hell. Doug Foster described the project as, "half savage and half heavenly." After listening to the score in it's entirety, I could image myself being in a pitch black state of confinement, but surprisingly, it was relaxing.

"All inspired by Dante’s Inferno; the heretics have their place in hell on the Sixth Circle of hell, they’re inside the walls of the City of Dis in tombs that are like flaming ovens that the heretics are lying in—it’s quite interesting that even the non-believers have got a space in hell reserved for them." - Doug Foster

The artwork for the Heretics' Gate project is fascinating. The installation fits perfectly within the St. Michael’s church. Despite churches being viewed as holy places of worship, both Doug Foster's image of hell and the gothic-like architectural structure of the cathedral church compliment each other quite well. Moreover, the album cover created for the score and the sounds by UNKLE perfectly compliment each other as well.

"Over the past few years I've had the pleasure of visiting a number of installations that have had a truly lasting affect on me. The kind of pieces that you find yourself thinking about for days after the event– James Turrell's Sky Spaces, Olafur Eliasson's Weather Project, Anthony McCall's projections, and UVA's Speed of Light to name but a few. These pieces share one thing in common– they've provoked very primal, raw emotional responses within me. Wonder, awe, joy, even fear in some cases. We don't get to feel such base responses much in our day to day lives, which makes the times when we do experience them even more profound. This piece by Doug Foster is one such work. I found myself utterly captivated by the space that he had created, which provoked a feeling of unease that I wasn't expecting. It felt to me like I was looking into something otherworldly, something threatening and unknown." - Tim Burrell-Saward

To add on to an already great project, Daydreaming with… and the Vinyl Factory teamed up to create an exclusive vinyl copy of the score. Each copy was hand-signed and numbered by both artists (Foster & Lavelle), and contained unique artwork by Doug Foster. However, the release was limited to only 100 copies worldwide, and the Vinyl Factory no longer has copies in stock. But with the retail price set at £ 100, I'm sure most of you (like myself) are far from disappointed. For the individuals that are willing and able to spend an astronomical price for a copy, hope is not completely gone. Discogs currently has one copy in stock for an additional £ 50 (click here). So, cheers to anyone that purchases a copy, and good luck to the ones that will be searching for it elsewhere.