Listening to the City
How do we collectively honour, celebrate and remember significant sites of organising, movement and resistance in London?
“The pavilion proposes a holding place – holding the ambition of a performative, political intervention, a pavilion which speaks of multiple acts of home; holding stories, energies and histories of movement – and the myriad ways in which people have made a city a place to take hold and, in turn, a place in which to be held.” – Sumayya Vally, Counterspace
The Listening to the City programme engages with a set of sonic landscapes from selected London neighbourhoods, paying attention to existing and lost spaces of gathering and belonging, with particular relevance to migrant communities across the city.
Conceived as a summer programme from July – September 2021 developed by Serpentine Education, Civic Projects and 2021 Pavilion architect Sumayya Vally, the programme of sound commissions, workshops, education packs and listening sessions will offer ways of listening to the city. At a time when personal listening devices have become ubiquitous, shared spaces to listen are increasingly rare. If how we listen determines what we hear, this programme encourages us to unplug, slow down, and embrace modes of active listening, making connections between histories of struggle, community care and organising.
As part of the programme we are working in collaboration with artists Ain Bailey, Jay Bernard, collaborative publishing practice OOMK, the Becontree Forever Arts and Culture Hub at Valence Library, Radio Ballad’s partner New Town Culture, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and young people’s organisations in South London.
Programme Schedule:
August – 17 October, free onsite pack, daily, Serpentine Pavilion
DOSH, developed by Jay Bernard in collaboration with OOMK and Serpentine Education
A deck of cards about money and the way it shapes our world, for 7-14 year olds, copies are free and available on-site, and distributed to young people throughout the city.
23 July, 7:30pm, Serpentine Pavilion & Livestream
Crystals of this Social Substance: the conversation
Join us for the launch of Jay Bernard’s new sound commission for 2021 Serpentine Pavilion. More information.
24 July – 25 August, Daily, Serpentine Pavilion
Jay Bernard, Crystals of this Social Substance
A new site-specific sound piece by Jay Bernard, inside Serpentine Pavilion, daily. More information.
24 July, 10am – 5pm, Serpentine Pavilion
Listening to the City Day
10am – 1pm, Community Morning, Serpentine Pavilion will be closed as we welcome invited community groups to visit.
2pm – 5pm, Family Day: Money Machine, One of My Kind (OOMK) invite children and their families to design and print their own currency in the Serpentine Pavilion. Family Days are free, drop-in events that are most suitable for families with children aged 7 – 14, but all are welcome. More information.
14 August, 2pm – 5pm, Serpentine Pavilion
Listening to the City Day
2pm – 5pm, Family Day: Money Machine, One of My Kind (OOMK) invite children and their families to design and print their own currency in the Serpentine Pavilion. Family Days are free, drop-in events that are most suitable for families with children aged 7 – 14, but all are welcome. More information.
26 August – 24 September, Daily, Serpentine Pavilion
Sound Commission, Ain Bailey, 2021
A new site-specific sound piece by Ain Bailey, inside Serpentine Pavilion, daily. More information to be announced soon.
10 September, 8pm – 10pm, Serpentine Pavilion
Performance: Ain Bailey and Imani Robinson
A site-specific performance in the 2021 Serpentine Pavilion. Booking information to be announced soon.
6 November, 3pm – 5pm, Valence Library
Listening Session: Becontree Broadcast Station
Join us in Valence Library, for live listening sessions with Sumayya Vally and invited artists. Booking information to be announced soon.
