The composition has been developed from working with geologists to understand deep time processes of rock formation and erosion and making a connection to the rural terrain (and its geology), of the North York Moors, .to compose a site-specific composition specifically for the Dark Skies Festival. The commission enabled the research to understand what was happening, astronomically, in the night sky, on the evening of the premier (performance), at the festival, where the audience were invited to walk across the moors, at night, in situ with the lyrics that discuss the terrain, and the astronomical sky above. Scores for performance were composed by Claire working to the geological processes of the formation of the once subterranean landscape, and mapping the names of such processes within the lyrics. The same process was used in relation to the mapping of the night sky working through the names of space objects on a detailed a sky map and making connections between the geological 'nick names' of object and the astronomical 'nick names' of objects in culture. Stories are told within a weave of narrative threads that relate to perceptions of the naming of things. The writing evolved directly out of the site’s geology in connection to the sky's astronomy on that specific date of performance.

The music is on Bandcamp and Spotify: https://thelongdeadstars.bandcamp.com/track/dancing-under-dark-skies-blakey-ridge-mix