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Gloucester Cathedral hosts new installation
Gloucestershire-based charity, The Music Works, has been working with young people from the local community to create powerful new audio content in response to the Knife Angel, which is being hosted at the Cathedral next month.
In collaboration with artists at Squidsoup, young people have taken part in a series of workshops to produce a small-scale, intimate light and sound installation. The work, called ‘Lights Out’, features the voices and sounds of local young people interested in social change, whose lives have been affected by the issues raised by the Knife Angel sculpture.
Lyndsay Davies, Youth and Community Director at The Music Works, said:
“The collaboration has been an excellent opportunity for a group of young people, who didn’t know each other a couple of months ago, to develop their passion for making music whilst exploring important issues that impact their lives in powerful and challenging ways.
We’re really excited to be working with Squidsoup, as it gives the young people an opportunity to have their voices and creative ideas occupy a new space in such an exciting and immersive way.”
One of the young producers who has been working on the project added:
“I think this event is going to help change the perception of how young people are seen locally, showcasing our talent and really showing what we can do.”
A launch event for Lights Out will be held at Gloucester Cathedral on Wednesday 1 February, offering invitees the chance to see exclusive live performances from some of the young producers involved. Then, between Thursday 2 February and Monday 27 February, Lights Out will be on display in the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral. All are welcome to come and explore the installation, with no tickets required.
The Revd Dr Rebecca Lloyd, Canon Chancellor and Director of Learning and Participation at Gloucester Cathedral, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming The Music Works and Squidsoup to Gloucester Cathedral for this very special exhibition. It will give visitors the chance to stop, to see something of the world through the eyes of the young people involved, and to reflect, pray and recommit to doing everything we can to put an end to violent crime.”
Gloucester Cathedral has set up The Knife Angel Legacy Fund, which will ensure the vital work to raise awareness around violent crime continues. All funds raised through the Legacy Fund will be used to support affected communities in Gloucestershire, with an aim to increase education around, and prevent, violent crime. You can donate to the fund via the Cathedral website.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
‘Lights Out’ will be on display in the Lady Chapel of Gloucester Cathedral between Thursday 2 February and Monday 27 February. It will be available to view between 10.30am-4pm on Monday-Friday, 10.30am-3pm on Saturday and 12noon-2pm on Sunday. These timings may vary due to special services taking place in the Cathedral, so please check the ‘What’s On’ section of the website before visiting.
The Cathedral is open to all, with entry by donation.
The Music Works
The Music Works was founded in 2004 and supports over 3,000 children and young people each year, engaging them through music, building confidence, self-belief and motivation, and empowering them to improve their life chances. Please visit www.themusicworks.org.uk for more details.
Squidsoup
Squidsoup are pioneers in the use of light, sound and technology to create immersive installations. Squidsoup encourages people to view the world from different perspectives, by presenting new kinds of evocative and beguiling experience. Their work has been seen by millions of people across the globe since 1997 in galleries and live events, festivals and solo exhibitions.
From art galleries to outdoor urban contexts, festivals to shopping malls, their work brings new life and an additional dynamic augmented layer, transforming space and peoples’ experiences of it.
Recent exhibitions and events include Burning Man Festival (2018,9), Canary Wharf (2017, 2019, 2020), Durham Lumiere (2019), Liverpool River of Light (2019,21), Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (2017,2019), Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (2021), Salisbury and Gloucester Cathedrals (2015,18,20), Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew (2015,16,18), SIGGRAPH (2016), Sydney Opera House (2016) and Ars Electronica (2011). Their key work Submergence has been exhibited over 70 times on six continents.
Squidsoup also work regularly with renowned electronica musician Four Tet, creating bespoke boundary-defying immersive light shows for a series of live concerts, including Alexandra Palace (London UK, 2019), LA, New York and Sydney Opera House (2015-8). Mixmag called it “the best live show in the world”.
For more press information contact:
Ellie Fells
Marketing & Communications Manager at Gloucester Cathedral
Ellie.fells@gloucestercathedral.org.uk
Katie Dainty
Head of Marketing at The Music Works
Hannah Brady
Creative Producer at Squidsoup