Isa Suarez: Mobile Voices

Artist Isa Suarez worked with a group of children to explore the architecture of the estate using sound. The children came from Wyndham & Comber estate to Sceaux Gardens and Southamton Way estates, they took on the role of explorer, noticing places and details that many of us would pass by.

 

Day One:

 The children were encouraged to explore Sceaux Gardens estate in order to find interesting sound spots. They recorded sounds that were happening around them - builders drilling, footsteps and the wind. They also created their own - sticks on railings, rustling leaves and echoes.
 

Making and recording sounds around the estate

Listening to them back - what do they sound like?

Recreating the sounds as an orchestra

 

Day Two:
The second day was focused on Southampton Way estate, which is very different architecturally. The children then experimented with different ways of representing their recorded sounds through drawing and performance.

 

Drawing Sounds

 

Day Three:

Today was all about performance, two locations were chosen and in each space the groups created a site specific sound work, performed and filmed it. We then all watched them back together.

 

Watching the performances

 



More Noise!

Carl Stevenson: Playing Out Films

 

On Friday 1 February on Wyndham & Comber estate, the South London Gallery hosted a discussion around the theme of 'Playing Out'. This event also provided the opportunity to showcase an outdoor video installation by artist Carl Stevenson who collaborated with children and young people from Wyndham and Comber estate during 2012.

Carl worked with the children every week between October and mid-December, he brought a variety of different objects to help engage them in different play activities, which he then recorded and edited into a series of short films which were then made into the installation you can see in the images above.

Here are a selection of the films:

 

 

Making Noise

For Tom White's first session on Southampton Way estate, he encouraged the children to make noise. Lots of noise. Big noises, small noises, funny noises, strange noises and everything in between. The children then set out to find as many different sounds as they could.

 

 

Using tape decks, digital sound recorders and cameras, the children set out to record, playback and re-record all sorts of different sounds. Using casette tape decks, the children were able to easily listen back to the sounds they were recording.

 

They used found objects to create new sounds, and also used these objects to interact with the environment.

The sessions continue each Sunday throughout February, 2-4pm, starting at the green on Southampton Way estate.

Playing Out

Today, the Shop of Possibilities moved outside. Due to an unfortunately leaky roof rather than cancel the session we opted for playing out. So we all grabbed things that we wanted to use and set up out the front!

It was a little cold so there were plenty of active activities going on, like skipping and 'It'.

Then the children decided that they wanted to make a tent, they directed us adults appropriately and made sure we were all pulling our weight!

Then it was put to use for the rest of the session. By creating this structure, the children addressed all the difficulties of being outside: it provided shelter from the wind, gave them a place to 'be' and they were also prepared if it began to rain. It also allowed them to really inhabit the public space and claim a bit of it for themselves.

A Maze Made of Tape

 

It's interesting to see how children's interest in a particular material can be randomly sparked at any given moment. We've had a box of old 8mm film reels, casette tapes and video cassettes in the Shop of Possibilities since we opened the space last summer and the children have never paid them any more than a quick glance. However today one of the children, Basit, became curious. He found the tin of 8mm film and began to unwind it, and was fascinated by how it seemed to go on and on and on...

 

 

 He began to unroll it, and wrapped it around the fences which surround the allotments. The film carried on going. So he wrapped it around the trees which are opposite the shop and it just kept going...

 

 

The other children then began to take notice, and were fascinated by the film and the tapes. They each grabbed casettes and started trying to pull the tape from the plastic cases. None of them knew what a tape even was, so as they were unravelling them, they were asking questions and we tried our very best to explain.

 

With all this tape and film, Paige and Patrick began to turn it into a maze, creating obstacles you had to duck under, jump over or shimmy past. If you touched the tape you had to start again. Before they had finished, all the other children wanted to explore the maze.

 

 

Play Local!

 

Join us on Southampton Way estate every Sunday throughout February.

 

Working with artist Tom White, children and families are encouraged to explore sounds that can be found around the estate, as well as creating new ones. Tape decks, microphones and cameras are all ready to be used, come prepared to make some noise!

 

If you would like to join us meet at 2pm at the green on Southampton Way estate. Sessions run from 2-4pm and are free and drop-in.

 

For more information please contact Jack on 020 7703 6120 or email jack@southlondongallery.org