Ten Songs for a Lar is a new and ambitious global artist commission inspired by an almost 2000 year mysterious figurine, held in the collections at The Guildhall Museum, Rochester. This tiny ‘Lar’ statuette, a household god figurine, served as a protector of the home, family and domestic boundaries and dates from around AD 200. Each of the ten selected artists will create a unique audio-artefact inspired by the Lar having been asked: ‘What does this object say to you, and what stories do y ...

Lar in Focus: An ongoing series of blogposts exploring and demystifying some of the processes undertaken by artists developing works for commissions. LIVING SOUND Ariel Chan (Linyuying Chen)   Curator and researcher, Irene Wang (Qingdao, China) talks to Ariel Chan about the significance of the songs and sounds found in her home province of Yunnan. How can we appreciate songs in a language very few understand? And what should be done to protect music and cultures that are ever assimila ...

Lar in Focus: An ongoing series of blogposts exploring and demystifying some of the processes undertaken by artists developing works for commissions. WORKING WITH SOUND with Iain Chambers Have you ever thought about sounds which may have been lost in time? How often do we really pay attention to the sound world around us? Elizabeth Hall explores Iain Chambers’ new work ‘Household Gods’, what it means to work with sound, and how we can reawaken those clicks, crackles and hums that form the ...

Lar in Focus: An ongoing series of blogposts exploring and demystifying some of the processes undertaken by artists developing works for commissions. Channelling Creative Forces With Yeji Yeon Image: ©Yeji Yeon Ed Liddle, Learning and Engagement Assistant at The Amelia, spoke with artist Yeji Yeon, the creator of ‘Veni lares Veni’, the second track to be released as part of the commission, Ten Songs for a Lar. Yeji trained in singing and ballet from a young age, however, her interests qu ...

Lar in Focus: An ongoing series of blogposts exploring and demystifying some of the processes undertaken by artists developing works for commissions. COLLABORATION With Vinzenz Stergin and Louise Fazackerley ‘Unwritten’ is a new collaborative sound-based work by Austrian Composer, Vinzenz Stergin, and Wigan based poet, Louise Fazackerley. The piece is a tight-knit audio excursion into an almost 2000-year-old figurine found near Frindsbury, Rochester (UK). The narrative of the work is told ...

As part of our Ten Songs for a Lar project during the final days of 2020, Elizabeth Hall managed to sneak in a quick cultural excursion to the Museum of Portable Sound. Hall discusses her visit and catches up with the mastermind behind the museum, John Kannenberg. Museum of Portable Sound Director John Kannenberg hosting visitors during a 2019 Friday Late event at the V&A. Photograph by Hydar Dewachi. Review: Museum of Portable Sound A trip to Museum of Portable Sound is certainly an experi ...

In the Georgian period, the expansion of the British Empire rested on the power of the Royal Navy. Every sailor was proficient with a needle and some turned from mending sails and darning socks to marking each other, presumably using gunpowder and urine for ink. It was thought that gunpowder offered the mystical powers of protection and long life. Improved record keeping by the Royal Navy began to note descriptions of distinguishing marks on sailors’ bodies, including tattoos. These records sh ...

We are offering you the chance to get nostalgic with our annual event: Salute to the 40’s this weekend. This is the festival for everyone to experience from grandparents to the little ones! It is also known as: “One of the Britain’s Best Vintage Festivals” – as previously stated by the Daily Telegraph! Read below on what’s in store and see some fun fashion facts about the ’40s to help you decide on what to wear! What’s in store for you? Look out for our VINTALICIOUS perfo ...