the utter®yrsa daley-ward
the utter®
the utter®
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the utter®
yrsa daley-ward
the utter®
yrsa daley-ward
evidence of being alive
where does a voice go when we follow it?
An original series of 20-minute films built from intimate voice-note exchanges.
Where does a voice go when we follow it?
A film series by Yrsa Daley-Ward
Yrsa Daley-Ward
I’m a poet, memoirist and novelist, author of bone, The Terrible, The How and The Catch, and co-writer of Beyoncé’s Black Is King.
My work moves between literature, performance and film.
I founded the utter® as a home for my curiosity about the private worlds we carry inside us.
I’m now creating a space where voices and stories can meet, where we can slow down together to listen closely, feel deeply and discover the tender, surprising ways we are connected.
the utter begins with a voice note from me,
usually a thought I’m turning over
or something I can’t quite leave alone / forget / get over.
I send it to you. You send something back.
I listen, respond, and follow what catches my attention.
Sometimes one voice note is enough. Sometimes we find ourselves exchanging them over a day or so. It’s up to you. There is nothing to prepare.
Record from the street, your kitchen, a taxi, your bed.
Take your time, lose your train of thought, change your mind.
I send someone interesting a voice note.
A question, a passing thought, something I can’t quite leave alone.
They send one back.
I listen, respond, and follow whatever catches my attention.
Sometimes we exchange a few messages.
Sometimes the conversation unfolds over a day.
We hear their voice as the camera follows me through my world.
Their words might lead me into a memory, towards a stranger, down a street, or somewhere neither of us expected.
What begins as a voice note becomes a film.
The person (you) at the other end of the exchange is heard,
rather than seen. The camera stays with me as I move through the world,
following whatever your voice has set in motion,
into a memory, towards a stranger, or back to you with another thought.
In an increasingly isolated world, a voice can bring us closer.
We love listening to conversations we wouldn’t normally be privy to.
A long, winding voice note. A small piece of someone’s day, or some conversation carried across cities, countries, time zones.
A voice to keep you company as you go about your day.
Each film invites us into that intimacy, through the voices of artists, musicians, writers, actors and people whose stories deserve to be heard.
Even a stranger’s voice can make us feel less alone.
Attention is a form of care.
the utter is interested in what sits beneath the practiced answer,
a thought still forming, a memory that changes in the telling
or a thing someone didn’t know they were going to say.
Each film becomes a portrait of an interior life, made through the encounter between two people and the world moving around them.
Evidence of being alive.
At the intersection of cognitive wellness, culture, and human connection, the utter® explores how language shapes how we think, feel, and experience the world.
How we pay attention changes how we experience being alive.
This film series brings that philosophy into a new cinematic form, celebrating the intimacy of listening and the human need for connection.
We are seeking a partner to help bring Season One of the utter to life, support the creation and release of the films, and become part of a distinctive cultural project.
Let’s make something worth sharing.
Go on. Eavesdrop.