The Loudspeaker Orchestra, and SOUND/IMAGE festival are 10 years old, a fact both familiar and still somewhat surprising!? Since our first concert in January 2015 we've been honoured to host an array of amazing artists, curated compelling compositions, and explored exciting spaces within South-East London.
Of course, it has never been our goal to race towards an objective (host X number of concerts, or reach a specified milestone). We started with a simple intention, one that is still core to our work today: to share with diverse audiences, musics that push the potential of sound as a medium, bringing these works out of Universities, Conservatories, concert halls and studios, and take them into the world where they can resonate and connect with people.
There is such a richness of innovation, creativity and craft in studios all over the world sculpting incredible compositions and listening experiences, but all too often these creators and their works can remain safely within their own bubble. Content to showcase their efforts to those expert colleagues and friends already in their community, yet often reticent to venture beyond these secure boundaries.
Growing Together
Reaching beyond the traditional university networks we've connected with audiences who otherwise would never have come into contact with electroacoustic sound based musics.
We've invited underrepresented international studios to showcase their works alongside the "big" players in the field, we've showcased young and upcoming artists and ensembles, while welcoming some of the absolute icons of the genre to share their work.
Together we have broadened understandings of what is possible with sound, working with local community and heritage partners to showcase the vital potential of sound based practices and listening. We've begun to connect with professionals in film and television sound to demonstrate the crossover potential in the legacy of Electroacoustic music and sound arts practices to contribute to strengthening the UK Creative Industries.
A Laboratory of Creative Practice
We treat each concert as a site of exploration in which we test ideas, explore the bounds of possibilities and reflect on their outcomes in collaboration with audiences.
Each season and each event is informed by and underpinned by questions, challenges and opportunities for innovation. These questions might be thematic and curatorial, technical or creative. Each event is unique because of the fresh mix of ingredients that feed it.
As such, we don't see our concerts as sites of fixed presentation of finished works. But as opportunities to bring alive works in a dynamic and compelling way. To continually reintroduce works in new orientations to open up new perspectives in a continually dynamic, evolving and unfolding process.
Reflecting Forwards
In assembling the programme of this 10th anniversary season we've looked back to consider how our activities have evolved over the last ten years and how our ambitions have progressively developed.
Over the coming year we celebrate the rich international traditions of sound based music practices inviting audiences to connect with iconic works of 20th Century music through the shared international anniversaries in electronic music, including: Sound Unbound: A Century of Berio and Boulez, and a showcase of the most highly regarded works of UK electroacoustic music (as voted by our community) Then - Now – Beyond: 75 years of UK Sound Arts.
In counterpoint, reflecting our ongoing ambition to push forward creative practices in spatial sound arts, our international SOUND/IMAGE 2025 Festival draws together global artists to showcase the latest contemporary practices; Sonic Spheres: Spherical Loudspeaker Convergence convenes the first ever UK gathering of spherical loudspeakers and our Shared Frequencies: Artist in Residence Showcase and Mindscape events demonstrate works nurtured in our own world class labs & studios, supported by our academic community and its commitment to innovation and collaboration.
Bringing together the old and the new, artists across genres and practices, this ten-year anniversary season celebrates all that we have achieved so far and highlights continuing opportunities to continue lead our field into the future and imagine what might be still to come.
