WE ARE NOT ALONE - BBC RADIO 4 / BBC SOUNDS ILLUMINATED PODCAST PRODUCED BY OLIVER SANDERS COMMISSIONED BY BBC RADIO 4 In 1980, Prestonwood Mall in Dallas contacted the Center for

WE ARE NOT ALONE - BBC RADIO 4 / BBC SOUNDS
ILLUMINATED PODCAST
PRODUCED BY OLIVER SANDERS
COMMISSIONED BY BBC RADIO 4

In 1980, Prestonwood Mall in Dallas contacted the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) with a unique request. It was the opening weekend of The Empire Strikes Back, and the mall’s marketing team wanted an additional attraction. Sensing an opportunity, John P. Timmerman, the owner of a family air-conditioning business in Ohio and a dedicated volunteer at CUFOS, packed his car with an eye-catching collection of UFO photographs and embarked on a cross-country journey for the weekend.

What began as a simple photography exhibit turned into a twelve-year research expedition across the malls of America. In front of those plexiglass panels, between the skylights and shiny floors, Timmerman interviewed curious shoppers with stories to tell. What he captured on his small tape recorder was the “raw material of ufology”: candid, first-hand accounts of strange lights, silver discs, and close encounters. 

Between 1980 and 1992, Timmerman recorded 1,179 witness reports across 120 tapes that cover every aspect of the UFO phenomena. The collection is considered one of the largest ever put together by a single investigator.

John P. Timmerman spent years travelling far from his quiet family life in the Midwest searching for insights into our place in the universe. What he found, amongst the hum of escalators and muzak, was connection — or ‘contact’ — with thousands of ordinary people, all searching for the same thing.

“There is no introduction – and no explanation – and the only interruptions during the programme are the clicks of a tape ending, the ‘this is side two, cassette one’, type markers made by Timmerman himself and, in the final three minutes, some appreciative reflections from Timmerman’s son. I became quickly hooked.”
— Daisy Dunn - The Spectator

Read the full article
Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 - Sunday 13th September 7.15pm + Thursday 17th September 3.30pm

Audio Production and Sound Design: Oliver Sanders
Executive Producer: Lucia Scazzocchio
Archive Digitisation & Co-Production: James Timmerman
Special thanks for the support of Dr Mark Rodeghier, Dr Michael Swords, Dr Michael West, The Center For UFO Studies, The Timmerman Family, Dominic De Vere, Francesca Thakorlal, Ben Plumb and Hannah Kemp-Welch.

LOWLINES - PODCAST CO PRODUCTION WITH SCENERY STUDIOS COMMISSIONED BY PETRA BARRAN

LOWLINES - PODCAST
CO PRODUCTION WITH SCENERY STUDIOS
COMMISSIONED BY PETRA BARRAN

A six-part podcast series - a sonic scrapbook and passport to roam, following one woman’s pull to tune in to the pulse of place, to get closer to the ground, befriending strangers along the way.

LOWLINES is a 100% independent, 100% female production that follows food entrepreneur Petra Barran as she travels solo through the Americas, meeting people with profound connections to the places they’re from.

Recorded and conceived of by novice presenter and producer Petra Barran (who was instrumental in bringing street food culture to London in the noughties and has earned a global reputation for urban placemaking) after she found herself feeling pranged out by the grind of the business hustle – she brought a recorder and set off without an itinerary to record a podcast with no script, no studio and no production team.

The resulting bank of tape was raw, real and revealing about what it means to connect to the ground beneath our feet. Upon returning to the UK she sought out a production team to craft it into a layered and exciting audio experience that brings each place that she visits to life. This was a truly collaborative process with Lucia Scazzocchio from Social Broadcasts, Lina Prestwood from Scenery Studios and Petra Barran working togther to make something unique.

We worked cellist Hanna Marshall who improvised to the edited tape to create an original score across the series.

From Arizona to the Amazon rainforest, Petra meets remarkable people for whom place is everything, enriching her own understanding of identity and what it means to feel rooted. The series invites the audience to don their headphones and listen in on Petra’s intimate and enjoyable conversations with strangers and interactions with the landscape.

Audio Production and Sound Design: Lucia Scazzocchio
Executive Producer: Lina Prestwood
Host: Petra Barran
Score: Hannah Marshall
Mastering and Mixing: Jobina Tinnemans

LOST AND FOUND MAPPING EUROPEAN LITERARY LONDON UCL EXHBITION : OCT 23 - MAY 24 Production an audio element for the European Literary Map of London exhibition, taking place in the South Cloisters at UCL. For centuries, writers have c

LOST AND FOUND
MAPPING EUROPEAN LITERARY LONDON
UCL EXHBITION : OCT 23 - MAY 24

Production an audio element for the European Literary Map of London exhibition, taking place in the South Cloisters at UCL.

For centuries, writers have come to London from across Europe and beyond – as honoured guests and anonymous aliens; tourists and refugees; students and wanderers. 

In the squalid slums of the East End, in the glitter and glamour of Belgravia, in the unspoilt expanse of Hampstead Heath, these writers lose – and find - themselves. Their encounters with the city leave a mark: on the writer, on their work and, sometimes, on London itself.

‘Lost & Found’ uncovers these literary traces, revealing a Europe and a London of the imagination. Featuring the writings of Hans Christian Andersen, Giacomo Casanova, Joseph Conrad, Ananda Devi, Simonetta Agnello Hornby and many others.

Audio Production: Lucia Scazzocchio
Field Recording: Gail Tasker
Music: Gail Tasker

A LEGACY OF KINDNESS THE STORY OF THE TRANS CHARITY GIRES Commissioned by GIRES / National Lottery Fund 2023 Production of a 6 part podcast series – A Legacy of Kindness, The Story of the Trans Charity GIRES , compiled from oral histori

A LEGACY OF KINDNESS
THE STORY OF THE TRANS CHARITY GIRES
Commissioned by GIRES / National Lottery Fund 2023

Production of a 6 part podcast series – A Legacy of Kindness, The Story of the Trans Charity GIRES, compiled from oral histories and produced as part of a digital exhibition exploring the rich history of the UK’s trans and gender-diverse charity GIRES, the Gender Identity Research & Education Society.

This was part of a wider project to research, document, showcase and share the rich history of the UK transgender and gender diverse charity GIRES, capturing the voices of trans and gender diverse people and their supporters and interpret them in a heritage context. The aim was to uncover the memories through generations of past, present and new members; trans activists and pioneers, who helped to establish the charity. GIRES was established in 1997 when Bernard Reed, OBE, and Terry Reed, OBE helped their transgender daughter win a landmark sex discrimination case. The charity has been instrumental in several positive changes to trans rights in the UK.

Audio Production: Lucia Scazzocchio
Scripting and Research: Georgia Marker
Sound Design: Samuel Robinson



IN THE BEGINNING… AUDIO DRAMA SERIES FOR CHILDREN Supported by the Audio Content Fund Broadcast on Fun Kids Radio 2022

IN THE BEGINNING…
AUDIO DRAMA SERIES FOR CHILDREN
Supported by the Audio Content Fund
Broadcast on Fun Kids Radio 2022

In The Beginning… is a collection of creation stories from around the world, adapted and dramatised for audio as an immersive listening experience for children (and adults!).

Written and produced by Lucia Scazzocchio and Hawa Khan (Sonomatapoiea), this multi-cultural, multi-voiced, narrated and dramatised series of creation myths and stories from around the world addresses the most profound human questions: Who are we and Why are we here? Adapted for young listeners, the adventures of the, powerful gods, mythical creatures and crafty animals that inhabit these ancestral tales provide insights into these deep philosophical questions, as well as celebrating and nurturing a deeper understanding of some of the ancestral cultural traditions and beliefs that are still very much alive today.

In the Beginning… brings ten of these ancestral tales to life. 

These stories transport us through the cosmos and into dreamtime, down a golden chain and through nature’s arc where we meet animals, gods and spirits –  the makers, shapers and creators.

Supported by the Audio Content Fund and broadcast from 13th July to 18th September on Fun Kids Radio

Written and directed by Hawa Khan and Lucia Scazzocchio, Casting Director Hawa Khan, Audio Production and Sound Design by Lucia Scazzocchio , Original music by Gail Tasker.
Presented by Chizzy Akudolu, narrated by Nicole Davis, Cast: Chizzy Akudolu, Rosie-Marie Christian, Darren Hart, Arnie Hewitt, Hawa Khan, Paul Marlon, Katherine Mosely, James Price, Narinder Samra, Quinceo Parkes, Omara Parkes, Della Parkes, Sierra Kaitell, Gabriel Goba

WHITE PAPERS ON DISSENT COMMISSIONED BY BARBARA CUETO / VAN ABBE MUSEUM: JUNE 21 - APRIL 22 White Papers on Dissent is a discursive programme dedicated to the investigation of blockchain as a tool for radical imagination. Though panel

WHITE PAPERS ON DISSENT
COMMISSIONED BY BARBARA CUETO / VAN ABBE MUSEUM: JUNE 21 - APRIL 22

White Papers on Dissent is a discursive programme dedicated to the investigation of blockchain as a tool for radical imagination. Though panel discussions, artist talks, participatory events, and a podcast it aims to collectively practice the making of the world otherwise, thinking through the technology to rehearse new social and political imaginaries.

White Papers on Dissent moves away from the economic discourse surrounding blockchain to understand the technology as a social apparatus. The programme examines how blockchain can articulate new ways of organising in a community circumventing hegemonic economic principles like the accumulation of capital and the focus on productivity. And, thus, reformulate the notion of value beyond the market. In this way, the project investigates how the particular characteristics of the technology can potentially re-address power structures and create alternative forms of governance adapted to the shared goals and wishes of a community. Therefore, the discursive project explores technology as a tool to concoct new elsewheres and otherwises: new forms of utopia with a biopolitical production adjusted to the characteristics and desires of the post-digital society.

The curator of White Papers on Dissent is Barbara Cueto. She is interested in the intersection of activism, new technologies and contemporary art. She is fascinated with how decentralised technologies are prompting new social constructions that compose new political and economic infrastructures, and how artists rehearse these imaginaries in their practices, giving us a glimpse in a world post-crisis.

Produced by Lucia Scazzocchio and Barbara Cueto
Audio Production, editing and sound design: Lucia Scazzocchio
Narrated by Barbara Cueto

TOWER OF LONDON FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S AUDIO TOUR Commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces August 2021 Written and produced by Hawa Khan and Lucia Scazzocchio, this new immersive family audio tour of the Tower of London is a unique and hu

TOWER OF LONDON
FAMILY AND CHILDREN’S AUDIO TOUR
Commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces August 2021

Written and produced by Hawa Khan and Lucia Scazzocchio, this new immersive family audio tour of the Tower of London is a unique and humorous twist on some of the well-known historical stories from the Tower of London. Guided by young ghosts Quentin and Olivia, listeners are introduced to some of the famous and not so famous historical figures who were imprisoned there and continue to haunt the grounds. But as Quentin says “It’s not all oooooooh you know” they have a job to do!

Currently available on site at The Tower of London

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Written and directed by Hawa Khan and Lucia Scazzocchio, Casting Director Hawa Khan, Audio Production and Sound Design by Lucia Scazzocchio , Original music by Aimilianos Parasch.
Cast: Quinceo Parks-San Miguel, Omara Parks -San Miguel, Narinder Samra, Arnie Hewitt, Nicole Davis, James Price, Darren Hart, Hawa Khan, Romans Olubodun, Odin Golding-Tomter

TRUE CURRENCY - ABOUT FEMINIST ECONOMICS COMMISSIONED BY GASWORKS: DEC 19 - JULY 20 True Currency: About Feminist Economics is a six-part podcast hosted by artists  Amy Feneck and Ruth Beale (The Alternative School of Eco

TRUE CURRENCY - ABOUT FEMINIST ECONOMICS
COMMISSIONED BY GASWORKS: DEC 19 - JULY 20

True Currency: About Feminist Economics is a six-part podcast hosted by artists Amy Feneck and Ruth Beale (The Alternative School of Economics). The outcome of an eight month residency at Gasworks in South London, the podcast is produced in collaboration with Lucia Scazzocchio from Social Broadcasts, and presents detailed testimonials from academic researchers, policy experts, community leaders and activists; and explores financial inequality, feminism, intersectionality, labour exploitation, unpaid work, care, unionisation and reproductive labour.

Over the six episodes Amy Feneck and Ruth Beale hear from several contributors, including the Director of UK Women’s Budget Group, Director of FLEX (Focus on Labour Exploitation), a campaigner for Sex Workers’ Union, a parent and NHS community nurse. The podcasts discuss financial inequalities and consider the issues migrant women face when campaigning for fair pay. They also look at  unpaid work and care, and consider future re-imaginings for a feminist economy. The final episode focuses on how the Coronavirus pandemic has thrown light upon many of the issues discussed throughout the series. 

Produced by Ruth Beale and Amy Feneck
Audio Production, editing and sound design: Lucia Scazzocchio
Narrated by Ruth Beale and Amy Feneck

LILY’S LEGACY - VOICES & VISIONS OF LIBERAL JUDAISM COMMISSIONED BY LIBERAL JUDAISM, MARCH 2020 What is Liberal Judaism? Who are the Liberal Jews? Who were the founders and pioneers? What was their vision? And how is this vision emb

LILY’S LEGACY - VOICES & VISIONS OF LIBERAL JUDAISM
COMMISSIONED BY LIBERAL JUDAISM, MARCH 2020

What is Liberal Judaism? Who are the Liberal Jews? Who were the founders and pioneers? What was their vision? And how is this vision embodied today? 
A multi-media exhibition “Voices and Visions of Liberal Judaism” features the voices, visions, memories and mementos of Liberal Judaism through the 20th and 21st century, and their thoughts for the future.

he exhibition was created from stories and materials collected as part of the Lily’s Legacy Project, which showcases The Radical History and Heritage of Liberal Judaism in Britain. The project examines how Liberal Judaism embodies the vision of its founder – Lily Montagu, Claude Montefiore and Rabbi Dr Israel Mattuck – both today and throughout its history.

The project has collected over 100 audio and audio – visual oral histories and memorabilia from Liberal Jews across communities and from all walks of life – from those involved in setting up communities many decades ago to those who have only recently found a home for their Jewish story within Liberal Judaism.

We produced a 10 part podcast series as part of this exhibition compiled from oral histories and produced as part of a digital exhibition exploring how Liberal Judaism has evolved since it was
co-founded by British visionary Lily Montagu in 1902.

Produced by Miri Lawrence and Lucia Scazzocchio
Narrated by Harry Hurst, Sound editing and design by Lucia Scazzocchio, and special thanks to all the contributors who agreed to share their stories.

HEADTRIP: HEARING DEPRESSION COLLABORATION BETWEEN KING'S COLLEGE LONDON ARTS IN MIND INNOVATION + S.I.D.E PROJECTS OCT 17-JAN 18

HEADTRIP: HEARING DEPRESSION
COLLABORATION BETWEEN KING'S COLLEGE LONDON
ARTS IN MIND INNOVATION + S.I.D.E PROJECTS
OCT 17-JAN 18

Headtrip is a project researching whether immersive binaural audio experiences might be beneficial in changing attitudes and behaviours, building empathy and reducing the stigma that surrounds depression. It is a collaboration between King’s College London’s Department of Health Services & Population Research and S.I.D.E Projects, brokered and supported by the Cultural Institute at King’s.




Without ever experiencing a mental health condition, like depression, it can be difficult to understand what the sufferer goes through, it can also be difficult for someone to explain their experience in words. The Headtrip team has attempted to bridge this gap, by creating a 10-minute audio experience, co-created with nine people who have ‘lived experience’ of depression.
After creating the audio-experience, we tested it on 23 listeners, including our experts by experience, front line workers, academics, mental health professionals and people working in the creative and cultural sector.

Feedback from the listening event included:
"Thank you for starting a revolution."
"I was becalmed. All my frustrations and anxieties left me. Insight was gained, depression relieved."
"It’s made me want to have a conversation with my boyfriend [who has depression] – and realised that social relations are central to all this."
"It was surprisingly accurate. I felt it was very familiar and it left me feeling a bit sad."
"It has made me feel more sympathetic and patient towards my own and others problems with depression. Hearing another person’s struggle without having to participate with them allowed a detached and free thinking understanding of the subject."
"I felt obliged to be less judgmental towards others as I could feel how sad and lonely it was to suffer from depression."

Listening to Headtrip: Hearing depression
We are continuing our research and therefore temporarily sharing the audio created for this pilot.
Before you listen, we recommend that you use a decent pair of headphones and find a quiet space. Ideally wear an eye mask or close your eyes to minimise distraction.
The Headtrip audio is based on lived experiences of depression and might be emotionally intense. In the explicit version there is some strong language. We do not recommend anyone under the age of 16 listen to the audio or anyone feeling emotionally unstable.

After listening we would value your feedback via this online feedback form.

Headtrip Explicit version

Headtrip Clean version

Project team:

Prof Ricardo Araya King’s College London Professor of Global Mental Health. His research interests include the aetiology of common mental disorders, inequalities and their link to the mental health of populations with special emphasis on international comparisons, and effective treatments for common mental disorders, such as simple and brief interventions using non-medical workers and strong community participation.

Rebecca Hatchett Director of S.I.D.E Projects is leading the consortium through the research phase as well as inputting to the creative development of the final audio. Providing 15-years experience in creative project management and service design, working in the arts, education and cultural sectors. 

Lucia Scazzocchio Audio producer, creative producer. 

Ella Saltmarshe specialises in using creativity to produce social impact at scale. She is the co-founder of The Point People, The Comms Lab & #SHEvotes. In this project she is combining her experience as a scriptwriter and her experience of service design in the field of mental health.

CHATTERBOXING
COMMISSIONED BY RETHINK
RETHINK SCHIZOPHRENIA
SEPTEMBER 2017

Commissioned by the mental health charity Rethink, to recreate what auditory hallucinations experienced by someone with schizophrenia might actually sound like. Inspired by in depth interviews with people suffering the condition and recorded using a binaural microphone, this piece aims to give a sense of what people might hear, give more insight into voice hearing and create empathy. This was the main content for the Rethink Schizophrenia campaign.

Audio Production: Lucia Scazzocchio

A SHELTER FROM THE STORM - A DOCUMENTARY COMMISSIONED BY THE GUARDIAN AUDIO (THE STORY PODCAST) AND THE UPSIDE OCT 18 Constructed as an ‘audio portrait’ – this piece takes the listener into what first appears to be an ordinary dilapida

A SHELTER FROM THE STORM - A DOCUMENTARY
COMMISSIONED BY THE GUARDIAN AUDIO (THE STORY PODCAST) AND THE UPSIDE
OCT 18

Constructed as an ‘audio portrait’ – this piece takes the listener into what first appears to be an ordinary dilapidated church somewhere in London. The chairs creak and the congregation clap along accompanied by a tambourine and guitar whist they enthusiastically sing generic hymns. The first listener reaction could be an eye roll and a little discomfort at the ‘Kumbaya’ nature of it all.  Then the sermon starts and we hear a female Reverend Jak Davis, and quickly understand we are not in the realm of the usual church experience as she talks about persecution and rejection by other churches and communities and how this church welcomes everyone, whatever their sexual orientation or gender preference..

This piece is primarily about rejection and acceptance, but also subtly touches on our own bias and preconceived ideas about the church and Christian worship in the UK.

As Western society becomes increasingly tolerant of sexual orientation and non-binary gender definitions, it is easy to forget that faith, and in this case Christianity, is still a deeply troubling experience for many members of the LGBT community. “How can we believe and worship a God who we are consistently told rejects and is even disgusted by us?”

When faith, the church and the rituals associated with them are an integral part of family, community, spiritual and cultural life, all this is a lot to give up and walk away from in exchange for being ‘out’. The simple act of just sitting in church, holding hands with your same-sex partner is the ultimate liberation, freedom and feeling of acceptance.

This podcast was produced as an episode for ‘The Story’ podcast for The Guardian.

Producer: Lucia Scazzocchio
Executive producer: Max Sanderson