Main content

Capturing Light

Printmaker Norman Ackroyd leaves on a boat at dawn to paint the sunrise on Suffolk's crumbling cliffs from the North Sea for the first time, with a new poem by Nancy Campbell.

Britain鈥檚 most celebrated printmaker Norman Ackroyd and the award-winning poet Nancy Campbell come together to explore what it takes to capture light on the page in poetry or in print.

Norman Ackroyd has spent his life travelling to some of the most remote places in the British Isles and his etchings rely on the interplay between light and dark, but there is a mysterious alchemy to his process. This is a rare opportunity to be privy to this and accompany Norman, now in his 83rd year, as he takes a boat from Southwold harbour at dawn, to paint the Suffolk coast from the North Sea for the first time, hoping to watch the sun rise on its crumbling cliffs.

A new commission by Nancy Campbell responds to Norman鈥檚 journey, forming a counterpoint to his practical concerns as he sketches and balances precariously at the stern of the boat. Nancy embodies different forms of light, describing how it travels through space, and outlines the visible world, making Norman鈥檚 creation of a likeness possible.

Rich in immersive binaural recordings, Norman's lyrical observations and Nancy鈥檚 poem are woven with the wild soundscape of the Suffolk coast; the sea, the birds, the insights of the accompanying fishermen and music specially composed by Jane Watkins.

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Sun 24 Oct 2021 18:45

Broadcast

  • Sun 24 Oct 2021 18:45

Did you know there are three kinds of twilight?

Did you know there are three kinds of twilight?

主播大秀 weather presenter Chris Fawkes explains the meteorological intricacies of twilight.

Binaural sound

What is it and why does it matter?

Podcast