This soundscape was performed at the Private View of The Monstrous Femmes exhibition. It was created in response to, my collaborator, Zeena's tapestry 'Desert Herland'. This tapestry was born from a want to be somewhere else during lockdown. The desert landscape was inspired by her love for dry arid environments and Middle Eastern heritage. The title of this work is a reference to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's novel 'Herland', a novel about an island inhabited entirely by women who reproduce via parthenogenesis. 

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I drew inspiration from similar ideas in both 'Herland' and the Irish Myth of 'Tir na n'Og'. Both of these explore idealised 'otherworlds'. I wanted to create a dreamlike sonic journey, which by combining ambient music, sampled field recordings and clips of audio recordings I collected from female family members, created a contemplative, tranquil space which poses the question of what we really desire. I asked the question: If you had your own little paradise/ideallyic haven to escape to, it's your own private place and can be as realistic or surreal and imaginative as you like. I was intrigued by both the desire for simple pleasures and how the answers varied through generations; my sister, mother and Nanny. This work was a pleasure to make, and was a great way to connect with other women in my family.