The Mouth Takes A Bite Out Of This Cruel Summer

On a slightly gusty Saturday evening in early September myself and Jennifer Boyd presented our fourth listening event as SHELL LIKE in the beautiful scented garden of LUX's headquarters in Waterlowe Park, North London.

This programme engaged with the notion of 'cruel summer' as an altered state of psychedelic resistance. A space of aspiration, idealism and augmented libido in which rebellion against normality seems possible, event as it pushes at the boundaries of what is sensible, safe and known. Sited very much in the city and the mind, with voices speaking both 'in heat' and from the shade, it encompasses concrete and sweat, mould and crowds, proximity and precipice, commingling with languid self-touch - potential as cool breeze either ignored or taken between the teeth.

The programme featured the biggest number of new work to date, with new recordings of text by Penny Goring, Madeleine Stack and Samira Saidi and brand new commissions by Matilda Tjader and Mikatsiu, alongside a significant work by Ain Bailey and two works from the LUX collection by Louise Foreshaw and Jem Cohen, which were presented as audio only. I also presented a new work which you can listen to HERE.

This was such a special event for us, thank you to everyone that came for their generous attention and for not running indoors when it started to spit! Huge thanks also to very best Matt Carter at LUX for all his support.

Find out more about our listening events at www.shell-like.com