It was a real honour to be invited to give a presentation on my PhD research for the London College of Communication Sound Arts Visiting Practitioners Research Series. Watch it back below –
Science Gallery London // Listening Beyond the Ear // Dark Matter
In June, I gave a listening workshop for Science Gallery London, on the evening of the opening of their exhibition Dark Matter. In response the intangibility of dark matter, the workshop investigated ultrasonic listening. Following a series of activations and a listening meditation, participants explored the gallery spaces by means of bat detectors. Here’s the workshop description:
‘This session proposes to contextualise and make tangible Dark Matter’s exploration of the hidden structures of the universe by uncovering hidden elements of the immediate sonic environment. Listening Beyond the Ear is a sonic exploration of the imperceptible; a workshop in which participants listen beyond their human auditory faculty towards the usually unheard infra- and ultrasonic realms.
The human range of hearing between 20hz and 20khz is a mere fragment of the totality of the vibratory world. Even in complete silence, the listener is surrounded by noise; from low-frequency infrasonic rumblings of machinery, transport networks, industrial processes, or weather systems to the high-frequency ultrasonic buzzing of lighting fixtures, computers, medical equipment, smartphones, and wildlife.’
Thinking Through Sound // Artist Residency // Convention House – East Street Arts, Leeds
I was one of a selection of artists invited by Marion Harrison and East Street Arts to spend time working in and testing their new Leeds space, Convention House. My residency intended to use sound and listening as methods for engaging with and understanding the site. I led daily listening workshops in the space with the organisations staff and studio holders, and I invited artists to create sound works in response to the site. Key outputs of this residency were Ways of Listening II, Sound of a Room Breathing and a collaboration with Laura Grace Ford, Feed The Fires, Tend the Stock.
Alternate Languages: Confronting Boundaries // Royal Academy of Arts, London
For the second instalment of their instalment of their Alternate Languages series, the Royal Academy of Arts programmed a series of engagements and installations throughout their public spaces. I was invited to give a Spatial Listening workshop and to create a site-specific installation. My Spatial Listening publication was also launched in their bookshop.
Venice Biennale // RA // Alternate Languages // British Pavilion
As part of a weekend of programming by the Royal Academy at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2018, I was invited to conduct a series of Spatial Listening workshops at the British Pavilion.
Alternate Languages responded to the theme of ‘Freespace‘ by investigating alternate approaches to experiencing and engaging with architecture. Aside from my practice, Suzi Willson led sessions on movement and embodiment, and Innua Ellams led a night run and gave a series of readings:
‘Join the Royal Academy in Venice as we animate the interior of the British Pavilion with a programme of performative workshops looking at the means through which we understand, critique and experience architecture.
This weekend programme will bring to the fore our physical, bodily, and emotional presence through an experiential engagement with the space left empty by Caruso St John and Marcus Taylor. Using a series of participatory and performative workshops we will reach beyond verbal discourse to use sound, movement and actions to invite audiences to witness, experience and to participate in developing ‘alternate languages’ that challenge how we experience architecture. We have invited participants from different disciplines – a performer, a poet, and a sound artist – who will explore how we interact with and discuss architecture. The workshops will emphasise a connection with the building while exploring ideas of disconnection and island states.’
