Smack Boys (2019)

21-28 July, 2019, Sailor’s Church, Military Road, Ramsgate

Smack Boys (2019) pays homage to the smack boys of Ramsgate. The smack boys were child apprentices of the fishing smacks, some aged as young as ten years old. They were as young as ten years old, and when ashore they lived and rested above the Sailor’s Church in Ramsgate, and later in the Home for Smack Boys next door. Smack Boys brings the smack boys back to life through sound, voices, games and song, situated within a larger choral work installed through 11 speakers in and around the Sailor’s Church. Smack Boys creates the sense of a time we know little about in living memory; a soothing lullaby to the Smack Boys of Ramsgate.

Materials: One-woman chamber choir (SSA), voice actors and sound effects. 4 looped audio channels of differing length, played through 11 speakers and mp3 players (mono x 1, stereo x 2 and 5.1 surround). Recorded with Zoom H6 and edited with Logic Pro and Izotope RX 5 Audio Editor.

Commissioned by Ramsgate Festival and featured as part of the Sonic Trail for Ramsgate Festival of Sound. Download the Smack Boys e-flyer.

Team: Lead artist, recordist, composer, lyricist, sound editor: Emily Peasgood. Voice actors: Local boys, Ramsgate Sea Scouts, Ramsgate Sea Cadets and Royal Harbour Academy Students. Installation support: Gary Perkins.

Film

[Coming soon]

Sound

Gallery



3 responses to “Smack Boys (2019)”

  1. Lorna willis says:

    Hi Emily, I have lost your contact details and wanted to see if the complete soundtrack for the smackboys (or the bits we were in) is available. Kind regards

  2. James and Monica says:

    Dear Emily,
    my partner and I were not able to hear your ‘smack boys’ installation – we arrived when a talk was scheduled.
    We have tried to listen on-line but cannot hear anything on the KCC library computers that we use.
    Would it be possible to email us a bit of it, maybe?
    love the rubber chickens,thank you
    James and Monica,
    Trove Court, Ramsgate

    • identicon Emily says:

      Hi James and Monica,
      I will be uploading some sound samples from the installation within the next 7 days. Please do check in!
      I’m glad you like the rubber chickens!
      Best,
      Emily

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