Sonic Stories with Ain Bailey
Saturday 6th July, 11.00 am to 4.00pm
Artist, composer, and DJ Ain Bailey facilitated a four hour deep listening session as part of her ongoing project Sonic Stories exploring the concept of ‘sonic autobiography’ that connects memory to music. This event utilised listening to investigate sound’s relationship to collective memory and identity formation in our social, emotional, and political lives.
Participants each brought three sounds that hold personal significance or interest from their life. Perhaps these are the sound of a creaking door in the house of a beloved family member; the call to prayer from a mosque in their neighbourhood; the song or piece of music that reminds them of their first love/crush/attraction, or the soundtrack in a club that feels like home.
These sounds were shared with the group during a facilitated session led by Bailey, who guided the group in active listening and discussion. Each participant was asked to consider and reflect on the sonic resonance of their choices.
Lunch and short breaks were provided during the session to facilitate informal gathering and connection.
Ain Bailey is a sound artist and DJ. She facilitates workshops considering the role of sound in the formation of identity and recently held a residency at the ICA, London. Exhibitions in 2019 included ‘The Range’ at Eastside Projects, Birmingham; ‘RE:Respite’ at Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland, and ‘And We’ll Always Be A Disco In The Glow Of Love’, a solo show at Cubitt Gallery, London. Bailey was also commissioned by Squpernormal and Jupiter festivals to create and perform a new work, ‘Super JR’. Last year, Bailey was commissioned by Radiophrenia Glasgow, a temporary art radio station, to create a new composition entitled ‘Ode To The N.H.S.’. Currently, following a commission by Serpentine Projects, she is conducting sound workshops with LGBTI+ refugees and asylum seekers, as well as working on a commission for Savvy Contemporary’s new radio station, SAVVYZAAR.
Permit to Dream: Sound Method was the final part of a larger public programme, Permit To Dream, curated by Cell Project Space Fellows, Michelle Lee Johnson, Khadija Niang, and Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo Each event unpacks and activates a range of senses; touch, sight, and listening, initiated from a response to Capital, solo exhibition by Coumba Samba.
Permit To Dream is generously supported by Tower Hamlets Community Fund.
