Nick Martin is among other things a composer, originally from England and has lived and worked in London, Copenhagen and Helsinki. In his artistic work he often alludes to a poetic idea or image that create certain atmospheres and emotions, drawn from personal memories and experiences that are rich with archetypal resonance. Whilst reflecting on his work over the past decade, and the life he has lived concurrently, he has gradually become aware of the fact that, as the Jungian analyst and author James Hollis succinctly puts it, 'the psyche seeks to heal itself'*. Whilst what motivates Martin to be creatively active is deeply personal, he hopes nonetheless that in working with honesty and humility he can reach a universality that will touch other people; 'Healing comes from resonance, the re-sounding or recognition of likeness'*.

* from 'Under Saturn's Shadow: The wounding and healing of men' by James Hollis, Ph.D

Fatherland
Program note

Fatherland is a cycle of electro-acoustic pieces, dedicated to my father. The initial inspiration for the piece came from my memory of childhood car journeys that I shared with my dad, in which we would set off at dawn whilst telling each other stories. During the journey we listened to Classic FM (often a programme such as ‘Relaxing Classics’), and the combination of this music and the changing light of dawn left a very strong impression on me. I remember the sleepy feeling sitting in a warm old Fiat Tipo, and driving through what I felt was a dull suburbia, and so I instead imagined a fantastical world where the clouds on the horizon become tall snow-covered mountains, where there were lakes and forests rather than endless houses and out-of-town shopping centres.
Fatherland is a partner piece to Matres, dedicated to my mother. Where Matres deals with the need for safety against the two external threats, that of abandonment and conversely of engulfment (and subsequent annihilation); the imagery I use is of a feminine sanctuary, a mythical garden, with war raging outside, and the fantasy of finding wholeness through the darkness of night; Fatherland is a rite of passage; a journey away from the sanctuary out into the dawn horizon, in search for my ancestral fathers.