Listen Up!

Black Swan Arts is hosting an ambitious programme of beautiful and intriguing art that is inspired by and uses sound in many forms. 

LISTEN will take place in and around Black Swan Arts and in other public and private spaces in Frome from 20th July to 1st September. 

The season will include exhibitions, installations, workshops, performances, sound walks and talks, and a ‘listening hub’ in the Round Tower where visitors will be able to delve into various sonic worlds. As well as celebrating Frome’s rich vein of local talent, LISTEN will host artists, composers and musicians from all over the UK. 

At Black Swan Arts, visitors will be able to feast their eyes as well as their ears on Michael Collier and Bennett Hogg’s ‘Singing the World: The Dawn Chorus’ in the Long Gallery, which will feature music and prints inspired by birdsong, and David Daniels’ ‘Music Wanting to be Played’ in the Round Tower. 

As well as curating LISTEN, composer Helen Ottaway will be contributing to Artmusic’s installation ‘Lachrymae’ in the Blue House garden. 

Award-winning British composer/performer Errollyn Wallen will present a concert at Christ Church.

At the Silk Mill, visitors will be able to enjoy cutting-edge electronic music and dazzling visuals from Scanner (aka Robin Rimbaud) and Joseph Hyde. 

Listening while exploring the town will be the focus of two sound walks. Satsymph have created a geo-located walk based on memories of working life in Frome, which is accessed via a smartphone app. Poetry in Motion have developed a walk following in the footsteps of workhouse reformer and writer Emma Sheppard, with readings along the route. 

A series of talks and discussions will feature a wealth of fascinating artists, including Long Player composer Jem Finer; overtone singer, multi-instrumentalist and musicologist Michael Ormiston; educationalist and saxophonist Nick Sorensen; and multi-disciplinary sound artist Jane Pitt. 

LISTEN will also feature a stream of ad hoc and pop-up events, including musicians playing their responses to graphic art notation, DJ sessions in the Black Swan Arts courtyard and surprise performances in secret locations. 

LISTEN is an invitation to explore your surroundings through sound. Whether you want to play or learn, look or listen, there will be something to suit your tastes, so bring your ears and an open mind to Frome this summer for an aural extravaganza. 

The season will launch at Black Swan Arts on Friday 19th July from 6–8pm – everyone is welcome to come along. 

For more information and full listings, please visit www.listensoundart.org.uk.