SOUND ARTIST
During the lockdown of 2020 I performed online for the first time, wrote an opera called Persephone’s Dream over Zoom (for more details go to my composer page) and was asked to put together a digital artwork based on that opera for the Electric Medway Festival. This piece was called Somnambulist and its creation sparked a new way of working for me, as a sound artist.
SOMNAMBULIST
This binaural piece was created for Fat Lady Opera and SparkedEcho by Anna Braithwaite using fragments of music from the opera ‘Persephone’s Dream’. Anna was lent a binaural microphone as part SparkedEcho’s Test + Develop programme. She explored her local environment during lockdown to create this immersive soundscape. ‘Somnambulist’ was included in the digital festival ‘Electric Medway’ and was broadcast as part of alt. radio festival ‘Radiophrenia’ at 1pm on 21st Nov. 2020.
Instructions: Listen through headphones to enjoy the binaural audio.
Opera conception by Tania Holland Williams, composition by Gavin Alexander, Anna Braithwaite and Kevin Grist. Cello played by Clare O’Connell. Improvised vocals by Anna Braithwaite.
HULKED
SOUND WALK
Hulked is a creative heritage project inspired by the histories, stories and songs of the Thames Barges, many of which are now ‘hulked’ along the Medway River.
I worked as sound artist on a geolocated sound walk which weaves together stories, poems, songs and music as you follow the self-guided route through The Old Brickfields at Lower Halstow.
Co-created with writer Jeremy Scott, the sound walk includes contributions from students of Lower Halstow Primary School and members of the Oast House Community Choir and Thames Barge Community. The Hulked sound walk was shortlisted for the SWS 2024 international sound walk award. To learn more go to:
HULKED AUDIO
HULKED FILM
The film is shot around and within the hulk of the Surrey barge which was left to rot on Glass Bottle Beach in Lower Halstow, Kent UK. The piece was conceived by Anna Braithwaite who also performed in the film and created the soundtrack, with additional ideas and instrumental performance by Dr. Jeremy Scott (University of Kent). 'Hulked' was directed, filmed and edited by Matt Rowe. The film was informed by the research Anna undertook with project partners Ed Gransden of Tiller & Wheel, Dr. Jeremy Scott (University of Kent) and Prof. Katharine Cockin (University of Essex).
The Hulked project was originally commissioned by Creative Estuary with support from University of Essex and University of Kent. Subsequently funded by:
PILGRIMAGE
In summer 2024 I was selected to be a Screen South ‘Showcase Artist’. Since then I have received training, time to play with a 360° sound rig and support to complete a commission from Deal Festival to create a sound installation for exhibition in July 2025.
‘Pilgrimage’ is an immersive 360° sound installation which captures the experience of walking from Deal to Dover along the shoreline. It uses field recordings and improvised vocal/church organ music (recorded en route in St Margaret of Antioch church), to reflect the experience of the modern pilgrim.
Venue: Landmark Centre, 129 High St, Deal, Kent, UK CT14 6BB
Events: I will introduce my installation at the free launch event 5pm-7pm Friday 11th July.
Join me for a ‘meet the artist’ session from 4pm-5pm on Saturday 12th July, ‘pay what you can’ tickets available HERE.
At 4pm on Sunday 13th July 2025 Gavin Roberts from Screen South and I will run a practical introductory workshop to using ‘envelop’ software in Ableton Live to create 360° sound worlds, find out more HERE.
The installation will be open to the public (for free) from 5pm-7pm Friday 11th July, 10-4pm on both Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th July 2025.
Please go to the Deal Festival website for further details.
This project has been developed with support from Deal Music & Arts and Screen South’s Arts Council England NPO Artist Showcase Programme.
AUGMENT
For six months in 2019 I was artist-in-residence at Chatham Historic Dockyard. In 2022 I started researching how to create a VR interpretation of the performance captured in one of the films I made during that residency called Rope Cycle. Using Unreal Engine I aim to create an immersive, playable sound world with artist (and regular collaborator) Matt Rowe using an avatar of me performing within a virtual recreation of the original location. We are now investigating how ‘players’ might influence/recompose the music themselves as they move through triggers in the virtual space and more generally how the performance will translate into the VR environment.
To learn more about Anna’s 2019 Dockyard residency click HERE
ROPE CYCLE
Research images for the immersive VR artwork.
Mood board for a VR instrument which can be played by the user inside the dockyards inspired immersive space. The instrument sounds and reverberation of the space will be sourced from the dockyard.
This work was supported by: Hi3 Network [London South Bank University in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University, Creative Folkestone, Maidstone Studios and Screen South]