ABSTRACT
The radio artwork the Resonance Radio Orchestra realised for Remote Performances was entitled Second Sketch for Ascent and Descent, part of a long-projected and occasionally abandoned suite. This Second Sketch follows a Fibonacci sequence whereby the length of each section is mathematically determined in advance and material cut to length. In sixteen sections, it comes in at 26 minutes 27 seconds 10 minutes 10 seconds longer than the First Sketch. Charlie Menzies proved to be a powerfully engaging person: an improbable interview that the author conducted with him revealed someone integrated into the landscape in a way that the torpid, smog-bound Londoner could scarcely imagine. Ascent and Descent does not imply a conquering of the landscape and in the author mind's eye the scale of ambition is at best that of an amateur rock-climber or a tourist riding in a hot air balloon.
