Artist Mark Fell creates 'sound app' for Essex c2c commuters

The experimental sound app has been introduced on the c2c rail line between London and Shoeburyness

An experimental artist has created an app that lulls passengers into a "drift-like state" by playing a soundtrack as they travel on a train.

Mark Fell's A Stitch Outside Time is made up of noises responding to the movement and location of the train.

The sounds are triggered by 93 "nodes" on the c2c line between London and Shoeburyness in Essex.

The rail firm said it hoped the app would "brighten up the morning commute" for passengers.

Mr Fell said the composition was inspired by the "tala" rhythm found in Indian classical music.

The Rotherham-based artist described A Stitch Outside Time as "a piece of music" that begins "as the train leaves the city".

Sound synthesis and pattern-generating systems mean listeners will never hear the same piece of music twice, he added.

Artist Mark Fell has made "some of the most inviting and accessible experimental music of the past 20 years", according to FACT magazine

"There are roughly 93 nodes placed along the track about half a mile apart and as the train moves, the patterns and sounds change," he said.

"I like the idea of the train journey as a timeless or 'outside time' experience where you watch the world go by and enter a kind of drift-like state.

"For me, the train line itself was treated as a linear musical score."

Mr Fell's work is inspired by experimental cinema, electronic music, philosophy, physics and anthropology

A spokesman for c2c said it was "absolutely delighted" to be showcasing Mr Fell's "remarkable new app".

He added: "It gives c2c customers the opportunity for a unique experience during their rail journey, and we hope it helps to brighten up the morning commute for many of our passengers."

A Stitch Outside Time has been designed in collaboration with artist Rian Treanor and developer Peter Worth and can be downloaded from app stores.

It was commissioned by Southend's Focal Point Gallery and funded by Arts Council England, with additional support from Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and c2c.