How Many Miles to Babylon? or 13 Easy Pieces
Merry-go-rounds often reside deep in our memories, conjuring childhood and the magical ability to be carried far away in the blink of an eye or the spin of a carousel.
2006 / Kaye Mortley / The Listening Room, ABC, Australia
Merry-go-rounds often reside deep in our memories, conjuring childhood and the magical ability to be carried far away in the blink of an eye or the spin of a carousel.
How Many Miles to Babylon? navigates between fiction and reality, recalling the past and bringing you along for the ride through the sounds and descriptions of street fairs in Paris, a carefully-remembered traveling circus, the ambling of horses down a street, and a tour through a contemporary merry-go-round museum.
How Many Miles to Babylon? was originally produced in 1999.
produced by
Kaye Mortley is Australian by birth but since 1981 has worked as an independent documentary maker based in Paris, producing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, France Culture, and for state broadcasting companies in Europe and elsewhere. Mortley's cinematic radio productions have received numerous awards from the Prix Futura and Prix Europa; most recently, A Stranger in Alsace received the 2005 Prix Italia prize for documentary work. Mortley also leads creative documentary workshops and builds sound installations throughout Europe. She is dedicated to opening up a space for those whose voice is not often heard, and to listening to the world around her -- both for the sounds and the passing silences.