A performance of Oupire in Hay Castle on 17th February, 2024, presented as a rather twisted Valentine's Day event. When I started working on Oupire in 2018, I had in mind that it would be both a book and a performance, the words on the page intended for two voices, weaving their twined narratives of the narrator and the book around each other. The Covid pandemic prevented the performance happening earlier but I was delighted we had the opportunity to finally present it in the Great Hall of Hay Castle in a performance by candlelight. The voices, provided by me (as the book) and Gemma Aukett (as Laura, the narrator) were set against a live background of processed sound and spectral audio decay, provided by Dafydd Roberts (Listen to the Voice of Fire) on feedback loops and John Watling on auto-harp, bowl, brush, spring, fan, feather, cymbal, a few other things besides, and even the book itself. The event was sold out and packed in to the small, darkened space, creating an immersive and eerie one-off performance. I'm delighted that it was heard, as it was always meant to be.
