Martyn Ware, renowned for his work with Heaven 17 and Human League, has teamed up with artistic director David Bickerstaff, to create the mesmerising 'Tales from the Bridge', an extraordinary new sonic experience, they have created to take people crossing the Millennium Bridge on a journey through the story of London and its people.
As part of the Mayor of London's programme of free events to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, they have produced three-dimensional soundscape, across the entire length of the bridge. It features an hour-long looping immersive ambient electronic musical composition merged with an engaging spoken narrative written by the poet Mario Petrucci and voiced by Mia Austen and Steven Alexander, and the stunning Water Night by Eric Whitacre .
Inspired by the fascinating history of the Thames and the people, stories, life and times on both banks of the river, Illustrious has created a contemplative auditory platform that links the City of London in the north with the Southbank and vice versa. Award-winning poet Mario Petrucci was invited by Bickerstaff and Ware to produce a collection of written passages assembled from literary forms such as short poems, atmospheric descriptions, local anecdotes, facts and figures. These beautifully conceived passages were collated by Petrucci into a poetry script, then woven into the three-dimensional soundfield by Martyn Ware.
In addition, at the start of each hour, an astounding invisible 3,746-voice strong choir, featuring singers from 73 countries – Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir - will perform 'Water Night' written by Grammy winning composer, Eric Whitacre, based on a short poem by Octavio Paz.
Also, interaction designer Daniel Hirschmann has created interactive technology which will enable a webcam mounted on the City Of London School to examine footfall at various points on the bridge, triggering sounds which will flow back and forth across the river. Visitors will therefore be able to participate in this unique and constantly changing composition.
From 27 July, the opening day of the Olympic Games, to 9 September, the closing ceremony for the Paralympics, the final composition can be heard every day between 8am and 10pm. It will immerse the listener in an oasis of peace and contemplation, half-remembered dreams and thoughts, of meditation and learning. The Millennium Bridge will seem to be almost alive, speaking its own thoughts to over 4 million people during the exhibition period.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'From Saxon times to Londinium and Shakespeare's city to our present day metropolis, London's story is one of dynamic change. With the magnificent Thames as the constant that flows through that great history, Tales from the Bridge provides an evocative soundtrack to the sights, the sounds and the people that have passed through these streets. With a wonderful poem and amazing invisible choir, it will be an inspirational part of the celebrations we are hosting across the city throughout the summer.'
The installation has been commissioned by the Mayor of London as part of a citywide series of free events, installations and city dressing to add to the celebrations for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games during the Olympic period. It has been created with endorsement of The Noise Abatement Society.
Special thanks to City of London School for their help and cooperation in allowing us use of their excellent facilities, and in particular John Hawson.
Biographies
Martyn Ware www.illustriouscompany.co.uk
Born in 1956 in Sheffield. Formed the Human League in 1978. Formed multimillion selling act Heaven 17 in 1980, and is still touring around the world. As record producer and artist has featured on recordings totalling over 50 million sales worldwide during a 35-year career to date. Martyn founded Illustrious Co. Ltd. with Vince Clarke in 2000 to exploit the creative and commercial possibilities of their unique 3DAudioScape immersive sound technology in collaboration with fine artists, the performing arts and public and private institutions around the world. He is also an expert in the ‘convergent’ multimedia art world, and has founded sound-branding company SonicID, and lectures extensively internationally. Martyn is a Visiting Professor at Queen Mary College, University of London, a member of BAFTA, and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. He will receive an Honorary Doctorate from QMUL in July 2012. Major works include Sound Oasis (Mexico City 2006) and Soundlife London (Leicester Square 2010).
David Bickerstaff www.atomictv.com
David Bickerstaff is an artist and award-winning filmmaker who founded Atomictv in 1997 as an umbrella organisation for developing digital art projects and collaborations. His documentary work and video installations such as Narrenturm, Hygieia, Heavy Water: a film for Chernobyl and Making War Horse have been broadcast in Britain and shown in many international festivals and exhibitions, which include the Wellcome Collection, Onedotzero, Festival International du Film sur L’Art Montreal, and the documentary fortnight at the Museum of Modern Art New York. He was a member of the 2004 BAFTA judging panel for Interactive Art and is currently a Creative Director at Newangle Productions, a commercial partnership that produces video installations and interactives for visitor attractions. Recent clients including the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Historic Royal Palaces, Museum of London, the Royal Observatory, and Cadbury World. He has won various awards for his projects including an Insight Award for Excellence from the National Association of Film and Digital Media Artists in the US.
Mario Petrucci www.mariopetrucci.com
Mario Petrucci is a metaphysical poet of international standing, an ecologist and PhD physicist. He is the only poet to have been resident at the Imperial War Museum and with BBC Radio 3, and has received major literary prizes across the board (National Poetry Competition (3rd); four times winner of the London Writers competition; Bridport Prize (winner); New London Writers Award). His book-length poem on Chernobyl, Heavy Water (Enitharmon 2004), captured the prestigious Arvon Prize for poetry and forms the backbone of a powerful new film (Seventh Art Productions). His other volumes include Flowers of Sulphur (2007), i tulips (2010) and the waltz in my blood (2011). He devises courses for the Poetry School, the Poetry Society’s Poetryclass initiative and Arvon/Foyle Young Poets. Mario is something of a frontiersman in creative writing projects in the public domain, engaging successfully with the various Imperial War Museum sites and delivering groundbreaking writing packs that tie into science (The Royal Society/ Royal Literary Fund) and ecology (Poetry Society). Mario is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and lives in north London.
Eric Whitacre www.ericwhitacre.com
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir
3,746 voices from 73 countries
WATER NIGHT
Composed and Conducted by Eric Whitacre
Poetry by Octavio Paz
Launched April 2012 at Lincoln Center, New York
Supported by Titanic Belfast, DCINY (Distinguished Concerts International New York), J.W. Pepper, and Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Produced by Music Productions Ltd.
Eric Whitacre is signed to Universal Records: www.Decca.com
Eric Whitacre is a Grammy-award winning pioneer in composition who has a rare talent, combining originality with popularity. The innovation that he has brought to the music world through his ground-breaking Virtual Choir has brought exceptional visual and audio beauty to the digital space, creating a unique connection between singers around the world. He is one of the most performed composers of our time, a distinguished conductor, broadcaster and public speaker with a wide spectrum of media and corporate engagements across the globe. A versatile composer, Eric has written for the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Chanticleer, Julian Lloyd Webber and the Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin Rundfunkchor and he co-wrote the Mermaid Theme for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with legendary film composer, Hans Zimmer. Eric is Composer in Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK.
Daniel Hirschmann www.hirschandmann.com
Daniel Hirschmann is a South Africa born artist who uses technology, relationships and spontaneity to enable his artistic practice. His portfolio includes responsive sculpture, interactive spaces and generative prints which have been exhibited in shows around the world, most notably, the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art in NY, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the V&A in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Nice, and the Resolution Gallery in Johannesburg. He built on his Fine Arts studies with a Masters at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program – where he specialised in physical computing and interactive sculpture. He has lectured at various highly respected institutions around the globe.
In 2010 he founded Hirsch & Mann Ltd – an art and design consultancy based in East London which is focused on responsive objects and environments. In 2011 he co-founded Technology Will Save Us a haberdashery for technology and alternative education space helping people to become producers and not just consumers of technology.
Mayor of London Presents www.molpresents.com
The Mayor of London is supporting a huge programme of free events and cultural activities to add to the excitement of 2012. Working with outstanding international artists and world class cultural organisations this unprecedented Mayor of London Presents programme is taking place in every corner of the capital to add to and complement the London 2012 Festival. It includes Secrets: Hidden London, with artists and performers transforming hidden and lesser known locations; Showtime, the largest outdoor arts festival ever seen in the capital, with dozens of electrifying artists from the UK and abroad coming to every borough, in high streets, parks and town centres; BT London Live, bringing live action from the Games, as well as sporting activities and entertainment to Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Trafalgar Square; and Surprises bringing pop-up performances and once in a lifetime experiences to locations familiar and unusual, above your heads and atop landmark buildings. To be the first to know what's happening in this Summer Like No Other , sign up or follow us at www.molpresents.com / www.facebook.com/mayoroflondonpresents / www.twitter.com/molpresents