Paula Garcia Stone

My brief love affair with a pancreas. Duration: 07.13 minutes

In this soundscape I reflect on my experience of being on a transplant ward at the Manchester Royal Infirmary as I aim to re-create the contrast of noise bombardment with moments of quiet, the rhythms of the drip machines, the constantness of it all. These wards are very noisy as there are many machines around you, constantly beeping or alarming, as well as just ticking over. The journey takes us from what seems to be a relatively quiet Intensive care unit, to the busy ward, and finally the isolation room.
The drama is played out through the narrative, leading to the battle to hold onto the transplanted organ. Medical treatment can often feel like a battle against nature - I paced around the bed with my drip and monitor on wheels, like a caged animal.

This is the first of a series of work I shall be making on this theme.