Temple of Peace to host immersive seven-hour sound experience
Nation.Cymru staff
A landmark building is to be transformed into a sanctuary of music, sound and contemplation as part of a city-wide festival.
The Marble Hall at Cardiff’s Temple of Peace will host a seven-hour sound installation on three days during Cardiff Music City Festival next month.
Welsh composer, musician and sound artist Richard James, formerly of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, will present the newly commissioned work under his musical alias Evolution Of Beauty.
The installation will combine analogue synthesisers, field recordings, spoken word and acoustic and electronic elements, using looping, sound effects and improvisation to explore the natural resonance of the Marble Hall.
Recordings made during improvised performances inside Wogan Cavern last year with musicians Jan Hendrickse, Angharad Van Rijswijk, Rhodri Davies and Gareth Bonello will also form part of the work.
They will be combined with live and partly pre-composed elements during performances which will evolve over seven hours.
The free installation will run from 1pm until 8pm on October 5, 6 and 8, with visitors able to enter and leave at any point.
James said: “The Marble Hall has this incredible natural resonance and a history that gives the space a meaning far beyond its architecture.
“The aim is to explore what happens when live performance, recorded sound and the character of the building are allowed to interact over an extended period.
“My hope is that it creates a gentle space for contemplation and provides an opportunity to step away from the noise of the outside world.”
Evolution Of Beauty forms part of the Cardiff Music City Festival, which runs from October 2 to 17 and includes performances, talks, exhibitions and other events across the city.
The programme also encompasses Sŵn Festival, Llais and the Welsh Music Prize.
Festival curator Ruth Cayford said: “Evolution of Beauty brings together music, architecture, history and experimentation, encouraging audiences to experience this important building in a completely different way.
“People can stay for a few minutes or several hours, listen closely, move around the space or simply sit and read – it’s really up to them.
“It promises to be an unusual, welcoming and accessible part of the wider Cardiff Music City Festival programme that the whole city, even those who might not usually go to a gig, can enjoy.”
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