The Fragmented Orchestra
The Fragmented Orchestra, an unprecedented and visionary new work, launched to the public on 12 December at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) as part of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture programme.
A huge, geographically distributed musical structure across 24 sites throughout the UK, The Fragmented Orchestra mirrors the function of the human brain and the way it processes sound to produce a compelling and ever-changing new instrument and composition.
"We’re really excited to hear the results of this huge collaborative effort and the sound of the UK becoming a musical work” John Matthias, Jane Grant and Nick Ryan
The 24 sites that make up The Fragmented Orchestra have been selected for their inherent sonic rhythms to create a unique score that will be performed to thousands of listeners throughout the UK. From a cattle market in Aberdeen to Brighton Seafront, London’s Roundhouse to Everton Football Club, Gloucester Cathedral to the former home of the Brontes on the Yorkshire Moors, a remarkable and diverse range of locations are connected via the internet to form a networked cortex, which will adapt, evolve and trigger site-specific sounds via FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) as part of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture programme from 12 December to 22 February. Anyone can ‘play’ The Fragmented Orchestra and the public are encouraged to visit their local sites and help turn the UK into one weird and wonderful new instrument.
Here’s how it works: A sound box modeled on the neurons found in the human brain will be installed at each site and attached to a pre-existing resonant surface. Each of the neurons will be connected to each other via the internet to form a tiny cortex and will ‘fire’ signals back and forth when stimulated by sound. When this happens fragments of sound from each location will be streamed to the central venue at FACT where each neuron unit is represented by its own loudspeaker. Across all of the sites, the public will be able to ‘play’ each neuron unit by creating local sound and hear the effect this has on the overall composition. Visitors to FACT can hear the collective sound of all of the sites around the UK, their interaction with each other and the unique music created by the cortex at work. The collective music heard in the Gallery at FACT will also be transmitted back to listeners at each of the remote locations through the use of Feonic™ technology, which turns any resonant surface into a high quality loudspeaker. The Fragmented Orchestra website will also enable people to tune into each of the sites, as well as what can be heard at the central Gallery in FACT, 24 hours a day.
The Fragmented Orchestra is presented as part of FACT’s Ding>>Dong exhibition which focuses on emerging and pioneering music and performance including new works by Peter Saville and Andy McCluskey. On Friday 12 December, PRSF, FACT and the Wellcome Trust presented a panel discussion involving experts in music, science and neuropsychology, (David Toop, sound artist and writer, Dr Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects, The Wellcome Trust, Robert Worby, presenter/composer and Jane Grant (The Fragmented Orchestra) giving their perspectives on this groundbreaking new work. The Fragmented Orchestra is grateful for support from a variety of key partners, which include the University of Plymouth, Be Broadband, Bowers & Wilkins, Samson, Fibox, Peninsular Arts, MGB Electrical and Feonic Technology Ltd in addition to PRS Foundation.
The Fragmented Orchestra is created by Jane Grant, John Matthias and Nick Ryan. Jane Grant is a visual artist working with film, sound, video and installation. She has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally and is Principal Investigator at the University of Plymouth on an AHRC funded project, Threshold which merges the human voice and breath with neuronal firing patterns, currently exhibited at ArtSway. John Matthias is a musician and physicist. He has collaborated with many artists including Radiohead, Matthew Herbert and Coldcut and has recently released his second solo album Stories from the Watercooler on the Counter (Ninja Tune) Label. He is lecturer in Sonic Arts at the University of Plymouth. Nick Ryan is a composer, producer and sound designer. He won a BAFTA for his ground breaking interactive radio drama The Dark House, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and has composed extensively for film and television. John and Nick recently released Cortical Songs on the nonclassical label to critical acclaim.