Thinking Earth

· culture ·

I've been meaning to post about a great programme that was on Radio 4 on New Year's Day: Thinking Earth - an ABC of the Night. It was a collage of people's stories and sounds of the night, from all around the world. They went through the alphabet, with one little segment representing each letter. It was the kind of thing that radio does superbly. Listening — at night — with the lights dimmed, it was wonderful to immerse yourself in this lush soundscape, and to enjoy people talking about their experiences. One of my favourites was of a Norwegian man talking about going skinny dipping one night as a teenager with some friends. He described their surprise at finding their naked bodies illuminated by bioluminescent plankton. They were simultaneously delighted and embarrassed. They were rather expecting that their bodies wouldn't be visible in the dark water, but found that they were lit up like Christmas trees!

I really recommend it; listen to it in the dark.