A Welsh composer whose music has been used to promote blockbuster TV series like Game of Thrones has taken care home residents on a “magical journey”.
The faces of residents of Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd care home, Caernarfon, lit up after they put on virtual reality goggles to experience the wild and wonderful sounds of a beautiful woodland while sitting in their armchairs.
The immersive experience is the brainchild of award-winning composer and arranger Owain Llwyd, originally from Glyndyfrdwy, near Llangollen, whose work has also been featured on other TV shows like X-Factor, Top Gear and Countryfile.
Owain’s original music was used in a trailer for the hit TV series Game of Thrones while another of his tracks popped up in a trailer promoting the Will Smith movie, Men in Black.
Bryn Seiont resident Kathleen Taylor said: “It was fantastic. It was just as if I was there in the woods, listening to the birds and watching the deer, marvellous and uplifting.”
Kathleen and the other residents were among the first ever to experience the new Wild Sounds of Wales project devised by Owain and a team of experts.
Other members include wildlife TV producer and director Jacinth Latta, wildlife sound recordist and spatial audio designer Axel Drioli, of Sounding Wild, and virtual reality artist Domonic White, of Nature’s Racers.
The collaboration is piloting the first of what they hope will become a successful series of experiences where sight, sound and music converge to replicate unforgettable journeys through nature.
They chose Dinefwr Park, one of the most beautiful nature reserves in Wales, for the pilot project but Owain says their ambition is to develop similar virtual reality journeys through beautiful landscapes across Wales.
Owain, who studied music at Bangor University, has worked extensively with Welsh National Opera orchestra and his concert compositions have been performed by renowned artists ranging from harpist Catrin Finch to the Black Dyke Brass Band.
He first came to prominence on winning all five Composer’s Medals in both the Urdd National Eisteddfod and the National Eisteddfod of Wales between 2002 and 2005 – the only composer to ever have achieved this accolade.
Owain, who now lives in the Cardiff area, said he has always been strongly inspired by the natural environment and wildlife.
He said: “I feel strongly that we must all work together to help reverse the man-made climate crisis which the world is now facing. Musically I’ve always been inspired by nature and the thought that we might lose treasured wildlife habitats forever is heartbreaking.
“The Wild Sounds of Wales project began because I wanted to do something innovative to reflect the importance of nature in our lives.
“I realised that virtual reality could be combined with music to transport audiences into the very environment which inspired it.
“The project was developed around a unique collaboration with the WNO Orchestra, whose performance of the score is central to the experience.
“Axel and I set out to create a sonic experience where nature and orchestra would exist in perfect balance.
“The musical score draws inspiration from the calls of birds and other native Welsh wildlife, while the soundscape in turn responded to and was shaped by the music.”
Owain was excited about composing a musical score based on the sounds of birds, insects and other native wildlife of Wales, then overlaying the actual sounds of these animals onto that.
The idea evolved to include the creation of a 360 degree film made so people would be able to see that environment while listening to the music.
Support, including some funding for the project, was secured from a number of organisations including the Arts Council of Wales, PRS Foundation, National Trust Cymru, Cadw, The National Landscapes Association, and Arts and Business Cymru.
Other key partners include Disability Arts Cymru, Tŷ Cerdd, Wales Millennium Centre, VERE Experiences, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Am, Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, Eryri National Park Authority, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, the National Eisteddfod, Tŷ Pawb and Pendine Park organisation.
Pendine Park owners, Mario and Gill Kreft, have long advocated the benefits of using arts and music as therapeutic tools in a health and social care setting.
They were the first care home group in Wales to commission a full time artist in residence, Sarah Edwards, and musician in residence, Nia Davies Williams.
Nia is now a much-loved and familiar face to residents at Bryn Seiont, having worked in the care sector for more than 15 years.
She said the Wild Sounds of Wales project was a valuable and innovative way of bringing nature to those who are no longer able to easily access it.
Nia added: “For those with mobility issues or in need of long-term care, who cannot easily get out into the landscapes that they love, this is a wonderful way of bringing the sights and sounds of those landscapes directly to them.
“The virtual reality aspect of it puts them right there at the heart of the environment that the music is describing.
“Watching our residents today get such a kick out of using the headsets and immersing themselves in the sights and sounds was a real joy.”
Retired radiologist Dr John Jones said: “It felt so real, I tried to move the leaves using my stick. It was a breath-takingly beautiful landscape.”
Fellow resident John Carson added: “I have never used these type of headsets before. I have seen them on TV but never quite understood how they worked until now. What amazing technology. It really does transport you on a wonderful journey.”
Owain said: “We have genuinely been moved by the way the residents here have engaged so positively with the whole experience.
“It’s extremely humbling for us as creatives to think we have helped take them on a journey to a place which is no longer easy for them to access. It’s been a heart-warming process for us all and we thank everyone at Pendine Park for helping make this happen.”
