Hellsö - EP

1. Hellsö - 7:00
2. Franciscan Lamb - 7:00
3. Mythical Källskär - 7:00

This collection of compositions called Hellsö is a solo reflection on select key moments from my time at the Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence on the island of Kökar, Åland, Finland in October 2023, with two fellow collaborators from Trajectories, a group of electroacoustic composers based in Montréal. The collection’s title of Hellsö, refers to the place that I was living throughout the three weeks I spent on the island, serving as my point of reference while becoming familiar with the geography, history, community, and sensory experience of the place. These pieces of music reflect on three particular areas of Kökar, a mythical island called Källskär that was pushed up during the ice age, a sheep pen housed among residential ruins of franciscan monks from the 1600s, and the wind-weathered top of a rocky hill in Hellsö looking north-west into the Baltic Sea.

Credits

Composed, mixed, and mastered by Charles Harding.

Thanks to Trajectories members Malte Leander and Connor Cook for helping record the pipe-organ improvisations and for the use of field recordings collected on Kökar throughout Oct. 2023.

Thank you to the Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence and to Kökar Hembygdsmuseum.

I would like to thank and acknowledge the support of SOCAN Foundation for helping to make this project possible.

Artwork by Charles Harding, original photo sourced from Kökar Hembygdsmuseum.

Hellsö - Live Performance Video

This performance video was recorded live on Kökar, Åland, Finland by members of Trajectories Collective while embarking on the Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence program hosted by Kökar Kultur.

Hellsö was composed in the same-named area of Kökar throughout Oct. 1-22. This piece is dedicated to Charlie's experience during a wind storm in this area that shook houses, snapped trees, and filled the air with ocean spray. This piece of music will also be released as part of small collection of similar compositions in December 2023 via Fredericton’s Patient Records.

Composed, performed, mixed/mastered by Charles Harding.
Filmed by Malte Leander and Connor Cook.
Presented by Trajectories.
Thanks to the Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence program.

Short Bio

Charles Harding is a composer and sound artist presently residing in New Brunswick. His creative journey spans years of immersion in music composition and facilitation, pivoting around computer music creation as the cornerstone of his artistic process. Whether weaving sonic tapestries through modular synth or documenting the delicate sounds of crackling seaweed on beaches, Harding's dedication to music has remained steadfast for over a decade.