Ligature

This is an environmental story, though there are no voices of scientists talking about climate change or global warming. Instead, "Ligature" carries the imprint of these stories, particularly of oceans, the death of their inhabitants and those who feed on the marine environment. It's a re-enacted conversation whispered between two women, loosely informed by the imagined concerns of Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins born in 1911. Voices intimately shudder in the warmth of bedding that two bodies inhabit. The twins' literal ligature extends the metaphor beyond themselves as they mourn dead seabirds entangled in driftwood. It's also a conjured mourning, a tangent to their own fears of a savored and shared demise. Alongside the two women's conversation (played by a single voice) is a sonic narrative: a dirge of gulls, crows and flapping wings beat against an ocean's aural hypnotism; abrupt ripping of cloth and binding of flesh echo the metaphor of connectivity. All serve to web this story, conceptual and real, of ghosted human behaviors with the whispered concerns that haunt those relating in some way to other creatures. "Ligature" is radio artistry that is suitable for spoken-word programming or radio drama specials. It is also accessible to audiences of documentary- or essay-based programming desiring to broaden their understanding of poetic or metaphoric narratives. In that sense, the piece could be placed within a one- or two-hour program that focus primarily on environmental or cultural issues, but is willing to experiment with format and genre.