"Whenever anyone speaks of Auschwitz, I always picture the iconic Arbeit Macht Frei Gate; an image linked to the atrocities associated with the holocaust. I have never been to Auschwitz, but when I heard the field recording I was instantly transported there. I found the sounds so evocative and tried to imagine how it must have felt for those individuals who were taken there in the 1940’s, although this is ultimately impossible. What thoughts must have been going through their minds as they approached the gate? These were ordinary human beings, and I often wonder how another person could possibly dehumanise in such a brutal way as the Nazis did.

"I wanted “The Bird’ to consider these themes and think about the feelings of the people and whether they felt abandoned or simply resigned to their fate as they saw others being beaten or even killed. What must they have thought of the guards who treated them that way? I also wanted to try and represent the futility of such events by using the image of a bird flying, overlooking the camp, seeing the death and cruelty. What would the bird say of such sights if it could talk? I imagine they would be utterly bewildered by the pointlessness of it all. 

"The sounds of the field recording are included throughout the whole of the song to ensure the focus is never lost, aiding the narrative and emphasising the importance of the lyric."

Arbeit Macht Frei gate at Auschwitz reimagined by Simon Holmes.