White Horse (2020-01-31T23:00 / 2020-02-01T11:00) documents the moment that the UK left the EU at 11pm on 31st January 2020, and the morning after at 11am on 1st February. The field recordings, each lasting approximately 11 minutes, were made from the vantage point of the Folkestone White Horse hill figure, overlooking the terminal of the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK to mainland Europe.
Conditions on the Friday evening were remarkably bad – extremely thick fog, light drizzle and strong winds, with only the lights of the terminal buildings visible through the mist. Unfortunately, and because of the wind, the audio suffers from some ‘clipping’. I have used some simple EQ in an effort to reduce the level of the offending material.
The piece runs for just over 22 minutes, with a fade in and out at the start at end of each recording. Coincidentally, the sound of a horn marks, almost exactly, the 11th hour on each recording.
The construction of the White Horse, completed in 2003, was declared illegal by the European Commission as the site is also protected under the European Habitats Directive.
The white horse is a recurring symbol in worldwide mythology, religion and tradition, commonly interpreted as either a portent of doom, or a sacred animal conveying the saviour of the world in end times.