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The mind-blowing crass insensitivity of the subsidy farmers running the windpower industry is incredible. Windfarm objectors in Scotland had to look hard at their calendars when they read this article in The Scotsman, but, no, it wasn't April 1st.

Join in their little competition at the end

The answer is blowing in the wind

JAMES REYNOLDS ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT

The Scotsman - 22, November 2003

MUSICAL symphonies played on the giant rotating blades of wind turbines
are being considered by one of Scotland's leading power companies in an
attempt to engage the public with the growing energy-generating source.

ScottishPower has commissioned Alex Hamilton, an environmental artist,
to come up with ideas and works to change the public's perception of
wind farms and turn them into radical recreational areas.

As well as working on traditional art forms, which include painting
turbines and introducing sculpture and coloured lighting, The Scotsman
has learned he is considering making the turbines produce music similar
to that of wind instruments for an all-encompassing "sensory
experience".

In order to meet the Scottish Executive's target of producing 40 per
cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, there will be an
unprecedented expansion of wind farms across much of the country. More
than 150 such schemes currently await planning approval.

Recently, however, there has been growing opposition to the monolithic
dominance of the immediate landscapes occupied by wind farms, and
several campaign groups have formed.

Mr Hamilton said: "It is about trying to encourage people to use what I
conceive will become wind parks as recreational spaces. Wind symphonies
would involve playing around with the natural acoustic sounds that we
can create with the turbines."

By cutting and drilling precise holes in the blades, he says they could
produce sounds tuned to harmonise with each other.

He also suggests that detachable instruments could be made, which would
fix to the end of the blades and work in a similar way to an Aeolian
harp. Named after the Greek god of the wind, an Aeolian harp is a small
box across which are stretched strings tuned to resonate in unison,
producing rising and falling harmonies when air moves over them.

Mr Hamilton said: "Music and harmonies could then be created by using
different attachments producing different notes, and it would then be
possible to commission musicians for a programme of concerts in the park
environment."

If the project wins ScottishPower's approval, the wind music would not
be permanent, and would only be produced at scheduled times.

Alan Mortimer, the head of wind development at ScottishPower, said:
"Alex is reporting back to us at the end of December and we will then
consider his ideas and see how we can bring them to fruition.

"The noise that turbines ordinarily produce is a very gentle swishing
sound as the blades pass round, and this could be augmented at turbines
close to a visitor facility at a site where we were encouraging the
public to come and have a look at the turbines. This is about trying to
find ways to make more of a feature of them at the right sites."

The British Wind Energy Association praised the project as a "wonderful
enterprise indeed", and said it would make wind farms more visitor-
friendly.

But the anti-wind farm campaign group Views of Scotland called the idea
a "stunt".

Spokeswoman Gillian Bishop said: "It really is insulting that as more
and more people are beginning to ask awkward questions about the ability
of wind power to affect global warming, ScottishPower is planning to win
them over by hanging bells on their turbines.

"Let's have a proper public debate about the real issues and leave
schemes like this for the first of April."

Breezy tunes

Catch the Wind - Donovan
Summer Breeze - The Isley Brothers
Silver Machine - Hawkwind
You Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Gusty Springfield
Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan
Windy Miller's Theme - from Camberwick Green
Turn - Travis
Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman
Air on a G String - Johann Sebastian Bach
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
Old Macdonald Had A (Wind) Farm - Traditional
Turbine - Neil Young
The (Wind) Power of Love - Jennifer Rush
Wild Is The Wind - David Bowie