Music is a language that transcends all barriers. A symphony that resonates among everyone irrespective of their caste, class or colour. Music encompasses culture, political, social and even spiritual connection. A center stage that connects a community of people and binds them through their shared experience, even if there is nothing that connects them at an individual level.
That’s how Montserrat, a small island in seas of The Caribbean looked like in 1970. George Martin (The Fifth Beatle) set up a music studio that became the epicenter of the international music scene. Musicians like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Steve Wonder used to record their albums here. Music maneuvered a communal experience and an unspoken bonding between the celebrities and locals.
But what happens when a place accidently losses it's landmark ‘status symbol’?
On July 18, 1995, after 1500 years, Soufriere Hills Volcano in Montserrat erupted. In 1997 the southern portion of the island was evacuated, abandoned and labelled as an exclusion zone after it was mostly buried in ash. The music studio, once a landmark, lies abandoned as a ruin being swooped by vegetation.