Oxford's annual festival of experimental music and sound art
This year's audiograft spans two weekends of installations and performances at OVADA Warehouse by a range of boundary pushing artists presenting surprising and memorable live experiences.
Rita Evans with Anna Jane Houghton, Sharon Phelan, Catherine Ross, Beth Shearsby
Fri 29 September 1-2PM work-in-progress open view Sat 30 September 7.30-8.30PM performance, doors 7PM
Rita Evans and her collaborators will spend two days in residency at the warehouse before the performance, experimenting with vibrating strings; piercing through wavering surfaces; threading reel to reel tape through resistant forms; creating and arranging playable sculptures to 'measure', listen to, and interact with the space; and layering pre-recorded sounds with the objects to create and sustain a dynamic interplay in between acoustic bodies.
Raheel Khan "In Harmony" with rizmi
Sat 7th - Sun 8th October
Installation open: 7 Oct 12-4 and 8-10; 8 Oct 12-5 Performances: 7 Oct, 12pm and 8pm
Artist Open House: 8th Oct, 12-5pm
“In Harmony” is an installation & performance by artist Raheel Khan that brings together composition, geometric design and electro-acoustic sound.
His current research concerns repetitive motions, rhythm, spiritual spaces and vacant buildings & infrastructure. Switching back and forth between these elements is the starting point for the work, Khan often uses abstraction to make sense of personal narratives.
Inspired by traditions of Islamic architecture and musique concrete, a customised sound-system will be installed in the space, central to which is a new sound work that combines recordings from the building's own sound features with electroacoustic compostion. A performance will take place on the evening of the 7th October, followed by an open house on the 8th, where we invite artists and musicians to respond to the installation.
Callout for Musicians and Sound Artists
Raheel Khan is hosting an open house at OVADA on 8th October, and all are invited to come and improvise with voices, instruments or sound-making tools. Let us know you're coming here: https://forms.gle/jQDq2PxJXGn5Gmuo8
Pay What You Decide, on the door (cash), no advance tickets
Accessibility Info The festival takes place in the downstairs area, which is wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately, there is no accessible toilet.
audiograft is co-curated and co-promoted by the Sonic Art Research Unit at Oxford Brookes University and OCM.
Raheel Khan's work is supported through the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Jerwood Jazz Encounters programme, co-commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music and supported by Jerwood Arts.
Photo credits: Thumbnail image for event page: Raheel Khan; Banner image for event page: Coil of Days Scene 2 Communal Breath by Rita Evans 2019 (Still from film). Images at bottom of page, left to right: Raheel Khan; Speaker from In Harmony by Raheel Khan; String Motif from In Harmony by Raheel Khan; Coil of Days, Scene 2 Communal Breath, Rita Evans 2019. (Still from film); Stringing the Matrix, Rita Evans 2022, Tate St Ives - Photo by Steve Tanner; Tuning in a Vacuum, Rita Evans 2022, Towner Eastbourne, with support from The Foundation Foundation. Photo by Tom Thistlethwaite (still 2 and 4 from footage of live performance).
To delve into its programme is to discover a striking repertoire of musicians and artists approaching sound from every angle and consistently, restlessly wondering what’s possible...An absolute treasure of a festival that Oxford’s more adventurous music lovers – and those with even a passing interest in the sounds of the world around us – should hold close to their hearts.
Nightshift
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...[audiograft] stands to open ears to extraordinary and surprising sounds and music.