Great narrative audio has the power to take a listener to a different place. You close your eyes, listen to the story, music and sound effects, and feel like you were there. Oorverdovend puts a unique twist on this immersive power of audio. You walk around in an actual, physical space — the town of Zwolle — but are transported to a different time. Specifically, the Second World War. Equipped with a set of headphones and an MP3-player, you are guided through wartime Zwolle. Three participants start simultaneously, listening to different but interrelated storylines. Binaurally recorded sound effects and a professional voice-over take you into the mind of, for example, Jenny: a young woman who has to deliver a package for the resistance.
Oorverdovend is supported by the V-fonds and produced in collaboration between Rotslab, Podgront, Stadkamer Zwolle and Zwolse Theaters. I was commissioned by Podgront to compose music for the project. To help move the listener to a different time, I omitted any synthetic or electric sounds, and used instruments that were popular in the Netherlands during the first half of the 20th century, like the accordion and hammered dulcimer.