Soundscapes at the Southbank Centre
‘You instantly feel sound. You can’t close your ears. You can close your eyes and walk away from a painting, but sound is more pervasive’.
In the summer of 2022 the Queen’s Walk in front of the Southbank Centre has played host to a trio of soundscapes, all of which were interacted with by the public as they walked along the South Bank.
They are Emergence by Dubmorphology aka Gary Stewart and Trevor Mathison, which is based on a reading from Aimé Césaire by CLR James. Also, On the Lips of Time by I Nakhla, which is composed of audio from home videos, music by the artist, and words by the singer Om Kalthoum. And the meditative Black Metanoia by Peter Adjaye, whose quote opens this blog.
In this video the artists introduce their works, the background behind them and the challenges and opportunities presented by producing soundscapes for an outdoor location in the heart of the city and on the banks of the Thames.
‘In my piece there’s lots of talking in the background, lots of words maybe we can’t quite get the meaning of, but they’re there, and I think that mirrors the experience of walking through South Bank.’
I Nakhla