The Art of Bridging Vox Liminis

In this final episode of The Art of Bridging, we recap on our journey so far, and acknowledge some of the challenges along the way and what we can learn from them. And then we reach the other side, the dry land - or do we? You'll have to listen to find out. 

In Episode 5, Jo and Gordon take us on a behind-the-scenes journey into the making of A Giant on the Bridge, a unique narrative gig from the Distant Voices project. We'll find out about TREEs (Tiny Research Explorations and Enquiries) and how they helped generate dialogue between people and perspectives. We'll hear what happens when restorative justice meets songwriting, and how this kind of encounter can shed new light on professional practice in criminal justice. Along the way we'll hear songs co-created by Rachel Sermanni, Frank, Jo Mango, Louis Abbott, Gordon, and others, as we try to understand how making things together can help us reach out across uncertain, conflicted, in-between spaces, like the beams of a bridge. 

Episode 4 is a deep dive into all things poetic. We'll be chatting to Lisa, Alison and Pádraig from the Distant Voices community, and hearing a set of poems created by Pádraig Ó Tuama and the Vox Unbound Community as part of a project called Making Things New. Woven together from everyday observations and encounters, this multilayered poetry collection gives glimpses of the pressures, the despair and the hope of new beginnings after prison. We'll reflect on how creative practice can help spark connections between people with very different life experiences, and we'll ponder what poetry can do in the face of systemic violence. Diana, Brunilda, Martin and Graeme will be our guest listeners, responding to a song from the archive by Andy Robertson with Lucy Cathcart Frödén. We'll also hear some delicious tasters of the brand new Echoes EP from the Vox Unbound Community, written with C Duncan, Kris Drever and Jonnie Common. Together, we'll think about how the bridges we build can have strong columns that reach from foundations in connected communities towards broader processes of social change. 

In Episode 3, Lucy is joined by Sharon, Oliver and Colleen from the Distant Voices community, to share songs and stories from a project that took us to Inverness to work with local communities on themes of addiction and recovery. We'll reflect on identity, inequality, fear and hope, with songs featuring co-writers Gus Bear, Donna Maciocia, Ross Clark (Fiskur), Gabi Froden (Foreign Slippers / Fires of May), and Martin, as well as insights from guest listeners William, Jim and Rachel. We'll glimpse cherry blossom, white-tipped waves and new beginnings, as we try to figure out how to build bridges with solid foundations.

In Episode 2, Lucy is joined by Martin, Louis and Phil from the Distant Voices community, to chat about what happens in a Vox songwriting session, and about how songs might hold potential to work as 'problem-solving devices'. We'll hear tracks that express complex themes of protest, solidarity, survival and care, featuring co-writers Emma, Ashley, Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Phil Crockett Thomas, Martin, Ross Clark (Fiskur), Tracey and Claire McKay (Martha Ffion). We'll also be joined by guest listeners Martin and Pauline, to reflect on an exclusive song from the Distant Voices archive. As we continue our exploration of the Art of Bridging, this episode considers whether songs and the stories they tell can function as stepping stones that might aid the journey of re-entry.

In this episode we’ll be asking what it’s like to re-enter society after a prison sentence. Together with Fergus and Iain from the Distant Voices community, we’re going to be imagining that coming home from prison is a bit like crossing a river, and trying to understand some of the currents in that river. We’ll hear a selection of songs written in and around the Scottish criminal justice system, featuring songwriters including Donna Maciocia, Lisa, Shuggie, Jill Lorean, Lee, C Duncan and Eddie.