My name is Samantha Heriz and I am asking for your support to help me re-invigorate the dying Suffolk accent, by creating an immersive sound installation of dialect.

#savethesuffolkaccent  

I'm from Suffolk, England, but now reside in country Victoria, Australia. Last year I was back in Suffolk and noticed how few people were speaking with the regional accent that I grew up around. I felt really sad about that and felt I could do a little to raise some awareness. I have a first degree in Speech Sciences and a Masters in Fine Art and with the in kind support of many people, and organisations this project is gaining ground.

Trans/Muting Suffolk tells the tale of a dying English accent.  Today’s Suffolk residents speak with diverse accents and the voice of Suffolk is changing. My project will heighten awareness of the dying Suffolk accent by the creation an immersive installation of dialect for the general public. Using the Heritage Lottery digitized collection, Suffolk Voices Restored, I will pair current residents to speak the words of turn of the century voices . The same words, with varying voices, will play through speakers to create an immersive soundscape telling of past and present Suffolk.

I have been given a residency at Snape Maltings, an international centre of music in Suffolk UK, which hosts Benjamin Britten’s famous Aldeburgh Festival each year. This residency is to work alongside Snape Maltings Sound Technician Tom Taylor to record current local residents of the region. This will then be made into an immersive sound installation of accent, to highlight the loss of the Suffolk accent.

The residency is at Snape Maltings, UK. https://snapemaltings.co.uk/

Rebecca Knights, Producer, Residencies & Open Space at Snape Maltings writes:

“Snape Maltings is a haven for creativity, and the residency programme is a crucial part of the work we deliver…Samantha’s project is exactly the sort of creativity we would like to see on the residency programme; a project which enables Samantha to grow as an artist and develop new skills and learning, but also one that has an immediate impact for Snape Maltings. As an artist, Samantha is clearly hungry to learn, confident in her abilities and diverse in approach, and we are really looking forward to working with her.”

I am a contemporary international artist, British by origin (Suffolk) and settled as an Australian in rural Victoria. My first degree gave me the skills to transcribe and work with phonetics and linguistics (Bsc Hons Speech Sciences, University College London) and I later studied fine art (Masters was in Fine Art, RMIT, Melbourne). Many other studies occured in between. I have been a practicing artist since 2009.

http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/cambridge-app-maps-decline-in-regional-diversity-of-english-dialects

• Return flights (me + two year old)                         $AUD3000
• Car hire and child seat hire for 3 weeks                $AUD1000
• Petrol                                                                            $AUD500
• Insurance                                                                     $AUD500
• Production costs                                                        $AUD1000

There has been much generous in kind support to this project:

• Image credit, the multi talented, Stuart Beekmeyer of Bouldergeist
• Snape Maltings, in particular Rebecca Knights and Tom Taylor
• Kobe and Dan from Shape Creative for amazing video creation talent
• Regional Arts Victoria, in particular, Adelaide and Eleanor

This is a project being made across the world. Ongoing networking from UK to Australia, with time differences, is a factor. Thus far, the commitment of Snape Maltings, myself and the support of Regional Arts Victoria, has ensured really great timely dialogue. 

I am a solo working parent of a young child living in remote Australia... which I love! But lets be real, that is not without a bit of challenge. Luckily, I am very determined, resourceful, driven and with good supports to ensure I always deliver.