In 2008 we presented the world premiere of The Fragmented Orchestra, winners of the PRS Foundaton's New Music Award 2008. Artist Jane Grant, composer-musician-physicist John Matthias and BAFTA winning composer-sound designer Nick Ryan have created a work that mirrors the function of the human brain and the way it processes sound.
24 neuron 'units' are placed across the UK in locations chosen for their inherent sonic rhythms. A microphone picks up elemental or human made sound at each location and, connected together over the internet, these microphones create a neural network leading back to our building.
24 speakers in the gallery allow visitors to listen to the collective sounds from each site around the country and their interaction with each other. An evolving piece, The Fragmented Orchestra mimics the ebb and flow of rhythm through the human brain; sound heard at in our building is continuously transmitted back to the 24 neuron units, allowing listeners there to hear how their own input changes the piece's composition.
