The last few weeks have been spent working with the studio Variable Matter, led by artist and long term collaborator, David Shearing. Shearing has been working in partnership with communities in and around Romford, East London over the last year, interviewing and celebrating the voices of 100 people in Havering, mapping their histories and futures.
This has culminated in the spatial installation work The Rising Sun, an immersive environment situated in the centre of Romford Market that envelopes audiences in haze, light, and sound, evolving as time passes. It has been a great privilege working on the piece with David, and hugely insightful exploring and composing the voices of the people involved in the project.
Technically, the piece involved developing a custom spatialised system of 52 speakers (for which I must thank Ed Borgnis and Max Hunter), from which unfolds a long durational score of voices, music and field recordings shifting and moving around the space as the day unfolds.
The Rising Sun is open 15–30 July 2022 0800–2000 at Romford Market, London RM1 3ER
For more information on visiting and to access an online version of the work, please see the project website here.
