the lullabells

CUSTOM TUNED BICYCLE BELLS FOR performance-EVENT ‘LULLABY’ BY LUKE JERRAM
Commissioned by HISTORIC COVENTRY FOR COVENTRY CITY OF CULTURE

VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON ROUTES AROUND COVENTRY CITY CENTRE
7TH NOVEMBER 2021

As part of Lullaby by Luke Jerram for Historic Coventry Trust - Friend Or Foe were invited to reimagine the bicycle bell as part of a large scale collaborative piece to be played alongside original soundscape by Dan Jones and Guy Hughes.

The result was The Lullabells: an orchestra of modified and custom-built bells using a combination of traditional brass bells, aluminium rings, steel bells and finger cymbals, specifically chosen for their tonal qualities and tuned to the musical scales used in the composition, played by participants as they cycled through the streets of Coventry

TURN TO THE SEA
An interactive data sonification installation artwork by Adam Sloan
Machine learning / Data analysis software coding by Scott Spencer

THE MCLELLAN GALLERY, GLASGOW 2019.

BLOOM

site-specific installation-performance
Commissioned by open culture for liverpool LIGHT NIGHT 2017,

the catacombs, ST GEORGES HALL, LIVERPOOL UK
19th May 2017

"After a short bloom, blossom falls gently. The blossom’s impermanence, its fleetingness - is the essence of its beauty."

A series of four musical performances within an interactive light installation, written & designed specifically in response to the unique historical space of the Catacombs underneath St George's Hall. 

Inspired by the Buddhist concept of Impermanence, the changing history of the site, and our individual perception of time, movement & space as a journey based on a lifetime of shifting, changing & reinventing. Nothing is permanent. Even our daily rhythms can never really happen the same way twice.

At the core of the world’s first air-conditioning system, the vast cellular stretches of arched corridors operate as the breathing lungs of the building, brought alive using directional sound & light to continually shift spacial perception. As the building is Grade 1 Listed world heritage site, we had to meticulously map the space we were working in.  

The Catacombs were filled with 100 suspended light bulbs, individually controlled by custom software designed for the event, to react to the sounds & actions of the performance.

Audience members circulated freely at their own pace through the dark passageways. As the evening progressed, elements of the performance would transform, distort, decay & evolve, to allow no performance to sound or look the same.

OTHER SUNS

FRIEND OR FOE PRESENTS... LEGENDS OF FLIGHT,WILL PLOWMAN (A FUTURE WITHOUT) & IN ATOMS.
A NIGHT OF LIVE MUSIC & AV PERFORMANCES.

commissioned by LAKES ALIVE FESTIVAL 2016.

at THE UNITED REFORM CHURCH, KENDAL uk. 
27th AUGUST 2016

A new collaborative music performance in three parts by In Atoms, Will Plowman and Legends Of Flight, accompanied by film and audio-reactive visual projections, inspired by themes from the 1987 film ‘Wings Of Desire’, Wim Wenders’ cinematic exploration of love, connections, place and time. 

Set in the ornately carved 19th Century Gothic surroundings of the Kendal United Reform Church, we set up a multi-channel audio system configured to exploit the building’s unique acoustic properties, while a huge transparent layered screen spanned across, looming over the performers to project film and generative artwork, portraying a journey through an illusory landscape littered with the sights, sounds and thoughts of unknown lives isolated in the crowds of an unknown city; the familiar, the lost, the distorted, the hidden.

AFLOAT, INLAND 

IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION-PERFORMANCE 
commissioned by open culture for LIVERPOOL LIGHTNIGHT 2016

at the leggate theatre, vicToria gallery & museum, liverpool uk. 13th may 2016

Afloat, Inland was an immersive installation-performance, incorporating generative interactive graphics controlled by live musical performance and binaural environmental sound recordings.

Transforming the VG&M’s historic Leggate Theatre into a multi-channel film and sound environment, the audience lounged on bean bags in the semi-circular central space, surrounded by a huge 30 metre cinerama-style screen suspended from the upper gallery. Musicians performed from behind the audience, allowing them to share the audience's view of the projections and follow visual cues.

This was the final part in the series of Dark Winter projects, further exploring the memories, myths and dreams connected with people and places we encountered during our three-month residency on the north coast of Iceland. 

DARK WINTER: FALLEN LIGHT 

AV PERFORMANCE 

waves and velocities: Sonic Interpretations of the Dark Winter
at Tjarnarborg culture house AND MOUNT TINDAÖXL SKI LODGE, ÓLAFSFJÖRÐUR, ICELAND.
6th & 13TH february 2016

ALSO FESTIVAL OF IDEAS
COMPTON VERNEY, WARWICKSHIRE, UK.
17TH - 19TH JUNE 2016

Created for our final performance events in Ólafsfjörður as part of the Skammdegi Residency,  this project was initially developed to be performed in the entrance foyer of the local concert hall where our studio was based over Winter.  It was further developed and adapted for the roof space of a mountain lodge at a Children's Ski School, and a straw-bale bunker at Also Festival.

Fallen Light was an immersive installation-performance, incorporating binaural environmental sound recordings and film shot around the local area, taken throughout our stay. Film projections were manipulated live with generative interactive graphics, reacting live to the audio from our musical performance.

To accurately replicate the binaural recordings and spacial audio effects, audience members lay on the floor and wore headphones in a completely dark space, to create real and imagined sonic environments and musical pieces, while sparse layered film elements projected on the sloped ceiling above.

what i leave behind i bring with me

INTERACTIVE film INSTALLATION for skammdegi arts festival 2015-16

at Salur Myndlistarfélagsins artspace, Akureyri, iceland. 16th - 23rd january 2016

and LISTHÚS ARTSPACE: exterior LOCATION, OLAFSFJÖRÐUR, iceland. 28th januARY 2016

Friend or Foe were Artists in Residence for three months in Ólafsfjörður, a remote town on the northern coast of Iceland for Skammdegi Winter Arts Festival 2016, to develop a series of experimental immersive audio-visual live performances and interactive installations at a number of indoor and outdoor locations, reflecting the environmental changes inflicted upon the vast, untamed, open landscape, the local wildlife and isolated community during the long winter; the fluctuating light and colours due to short days, the movement of clouds and birds, the visibility of astronomical and lunar activity during the long, dark nights and the affects of winter darkness on people their moods, sleep patterns and dreams. 

‘What I Leave Behind I Bring With Me’ is an interactive installation incorporating film shot around the local area, binaural environmental sound recordings, and subtle musical themes inspired by the environment, local customs, history and stories.

Custom electronics and found objects were used to create an interface allowing audience participants to reconstruct layers of time and duration, shifting patterns and focus of visual and audio elements, while generative graphics fracture and shatter the image, emulating the flowing motion of the wind, moving in reaction to sound and colour.

SUNNY ISLAND

AN IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION PROJECT COMMISSIONED BY CULTURE LIVERPOOL FOR LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2015

In collaboration with make space create and FORTOM LTD
29th - 31ST AUGUST 2015

A continuously rolling dual-screen animation with original music, creating the sights, sounds, moods and atmosphere of a fun and hazy holiday by the sea.

Hosted by Gav Cross, the installation was housed in a pop-up inflatable dome, covered in parachutes and hidden in a circus tent disguised as a sandcastle!

Lost Minutes
Friend or Foe, CREATED FOR Unity Theatre
LIVERPOOL 2015

Inspired by conversations about daydreaming and the slips from reality we encounter in our daily lives, Lost Minutes is a collaborative project between Friend Or Foe, Legends Of Flight, Esa Shields and Dan Wilson, to produce a series of immersive performances which further explored the possibilities of blending electronic instrumentation and voice with audio-responsive film and animated visuals.

The piece was developed for a black box space, in total darkness, enabling us to experiment with sensory performance in a controlled surround sound environment with the audience being central to the experience.

RAINBOW FISH
Ladywood Primary School, Bolton.
In collaboration with FACT and Curious Minds

A series of participatory workshops and immersive performances with primary aged pupils with complex learning difficulties, designed to foster learning and explore opportunities for wider pupil engagement.

Throughout the week, children participated in workshops activities to explore animation techniques and create sound effects for an animation inspired by Rainbow Fish, a story by Marcus Pfister, which the school uses regularly to teach pupils the importance of sharing. Sounds were recorded using a variety of sensory materials, vocal techniques and musical instruments. 

Our week long residency led to four immersive performances for pupils and staff, incorporating interactive animation, storytelling and live music performance, interspersed with the audio effects and animated characters created by participants during the workshops. While the performance took place, audience members lay down on the floor to watch the projections on the ceiling, aiming to change their usual perspective of the room, and to promote a relaxing environment free from familiar distractions.

HIDDEN WORLDS
Discover Area: Central Library Liverpool
14th March 2014

Hidden Worlds is a collaborative music and film composition between Legends Of Flight, Esa Shields, Dan Wilson, Simon James & Andy Delamere, culminating in a series of live musical performances to an audience of all ages, set in the historic lecture theatre, recently restored as the childrens' Discovery library. 

Inspired by a recent trip to Iceland, the vast circular space presented an opportunity to experiment on a larger scale, exploring themes associated with history, discovery and nature, particularly animal and sea life. Contemplative film pieces by Dan Turner, Scott Spencer & Adam Sloan reflect these themes, intertwined with interactive visuals and surround directional audio field recordings.

alone//together
The Engine Room: Metal Arts Space 
at Edge Hill Station liverpool
14th & 15th February 2013

Alone//Together was a collaborative residency project developing musical and visual ideas inspired by how we individually perceive mutual experiences of journey, escape and loss. The project evolved into a series of live musical events exploring a new direction in performance for us, experienced within an immersive sound-controlled environment. 
On a blustery Valentine’s night, audience members were invited in from the cold to recline in the dark on an array of sun loungers. Shifting the focus away from the performers, an array of speakers allowed musical elements to shift direction around the room, mirrored by mapped audio-responsive visuals projected onto the ceiling overhead, isolating audience focus from social and environmental distraction.
This project was the start of our development for a series of performances: Hidden Worlds at Liverpool Central Library, Lost Minutes at Unity Theatre Liverpool and Fallen Light in Iceland.

Music by Legends of Flight & Esa Shields. Visuals by Dan Turner, Adam Sloan, Scott Spencer & Christian Krupa.
Photographs by Brian Roberts.

tinted venus
Walker Art Gallery Liverpool
24th November 2012

A new composition/performance by Legends of Flight within The Sculpture Gallery of The Walker Art Gallery, inspired by John Gibson’s central sculpture ‘The Tinted Venus’ and surrounding mythology of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and desire.

During the performance audience members of all ages were invited explore the gallery, immersed in overlapping sound and music, observing audio reactive visual projections mapped onto the Walker's collection of neo-classical sculptures.

Music by Legends of Flight.
Visuals by Dan Turner, Adam Sloan & Scott Spencer.

Friend or Foe Presents…

The Crypt, St Luke's (Bombed Out Church), Liverpool.
September 2013.

Gustav Adolf Kyrka Scandinavian Seamans Church, Liverpool.
Monthly 2010-2012

Upstairs at the Ship & Mitre, Liverpool.
Monthly 2009-2010

A regular series of collaborative live music and visual performance projects and events in unusual performance spaces.

Artists included:
Legends Of Flight • Biltone • Alex Mountaineer • Esa Sheilds • Scott Russell • Hannah Peel • Dead Belgian • Bird • Jane Weaver • Secret Garden Gathering • Mr Gary Daly • Chiz Turnross • Dan Wilson • Robyn Woolston • Emily & The Faves • The Visionary Mindset Experience • Elfin Spurs • Stealing Sheep • Colin Eccleston • Johnny Sands • Matthew Wood & his Accordion • Mulu

Photographs by Brian Roberts & Amina Bihi
Lighting by Billy Flash