A new podcast documentary underscored by a soundscape tells the story of young People of Colour (18-26) who have grown up in the South West.

Sonic Landscapes of Colour is out now on BBC Sounds and will be on BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Cornwall and all major streaming platforms soon.

Built out of nine interview recording sessions, Sonic Landscapes of Colour delves into how participants lived experiences have shaped their relationships to topics such as identity, school, community, culture, alienation, belonging, racism and connection to local natural landscape.

The voices are underscored by a soundscape built from four recording sessions with non-western traditional instrumentalists; all based in the South West and augmented by creator Somatic’s own composition and sound design skills.

With the Black, Minority, Ethnic Communities in Devon & Cornwall estimated to double in the 2021 census, this project aims to provide a platform and give collective power to some of these younger voices, foster empathy and learning amongst the wider population and create a resource that can be referenced for meaningful change.

It is the belief of this project that art can be a brilliant vehicle for social and political change. The intention of this piece is that it will also be used as an anti-racism resource in secondary schools, colleges and universities. If you’d like to know more about the educational package please contact Devon Development Education or Somatic.

The nine recording sessions have been woven into two 55 minute episodes and look at topics such as: family, schooling, culture, community, identity, small town mentality, isolation and Alienation, colourism, racism, connection to local natural landscape and hopes for the future.

There is a seven part series of minisodes lasting approx 3.30 minutes which can be used as an anti racism resource in education. These minisodes are extracts of full episodes and centre around some of the topics covered.

About Somatic

Somatic (Somin Griffin-Dave) is a dual-heritage Indian-English Sound Artist born and raised in Exeter. His diverse creative practice encompasses sound and music for theatre, dance, screen and club dancefloors. Although his sound is rooted in electronica and ‘dance music’ he takes influence from the rural landscape he grew up in and the myriad of genres from around the world he was brought up on.

In 2019, Somin graduated from Bath Spa Univeristy with a 1st class honors degree in Creative Music Technology and has since gone to have his work shown at Sundance film festival (Child of Empire 2022), clocked up 350k+ plays on Spotify and toured the USA & Australia with Koan Sound.

__Sonic Landscapes of Colour is out now on BBC Sounds and will be on BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Cornwall and all major streaming platforms soon. Keep an eye out for live listening and Q&A sessions across the South West in the coming months. __