Her Noise features five newly commissioned works by international artists whose practice shares the use of sound as a medium to investigate social relations, inspire action or uncover hidden soundscapes. New works by Kim Gordon and Jutta Koether; Emma Hedditch; Christina Kubisch; Kaffe Matthews and Hayley Newman all involve high levels of participation and are set in motion only when used by visitors or performers forming a base for events, live music and performances.

In ‘Reverse Karaoke’ Kim Gordon and Jutta Koether enable audiences to record their own piece accompanying Gordon's pre-recorded vocal track, demistifying the process of music-making whilst exploring the disembodied voice in the space. In the evenings up the work openes up as a performance space to large range of bands including Jenny Hoyston (Erase Errata, Paradise Island), Heather Leigh Murray, Christina Carter and Ana Da Silva (The Raincoats).

In her installation 'Mini Flux', London-based artist Hayley Newman tries to reproduce, in miniature, every object used in the Sixties Fluxus movement's musical scores. Accompanied by a printed list of over 1,000 objects, the installation becomes a score in itself through Newman's invitation to guest artists to devise performances based around the items on the list. Artists performing in Newman's space include the Bohman Brothers, Bruce Gilbert and Margarita Gluzberg.

Berlin based artist Christina Kubisch has for many years been developing ‘electrical walks’ which make audible the otherwise undetectable electromagnetic signals that surround us. Visitors are invited to navigate Kubisch's maze of wires containing sounds from city walks using the specially designed headphones. Across town, visitors can pick up the headphones from the Goethe Institute to discover the hidden soundscape of the area according to Kubisch's map.

While lying on Kaffe Matthews ‘Sonic Bed' the visitor becomes physically affected by a spectrum of sound vibrations shifting underneath and around them. The 12 channel sound system immersed in the bed plays a specially constructed sound work, vibrating through and around the visitor. The composition uses an architectural map of the human body and the frequencies it is tuned to as it's score.

In ‘We're Alive, Let's Meet’, London based artist Emma Hedditch sets up a series of 'get togethers' to discuss and explore the relationships between historical acts, ways of forming collaborations, and ways in which we perform and record sound. Hedditch's weekly 'get togethers' will take the form of weekly meetings, workshops and talks with guests including film maker Vivienne Dick, Tobi Vail and Alison Wolfe (of riot grrrl bands: Bikini Kill and Bratmobile).

Hedditch has also worked collaboratively with the show’s curators to develop the Her Noise Archive which combines a research area, listening posts and a viewing space filled with documentation of both historical and contemporary luminaries working in the field of sound installation and performance. The space contains books, fanzines, catalogues as well as exclusive on camera interviews and concert footage with artists including Pauline Oliveros, Maryanne Amacher, Diamanda Galas, Marina Rosenfeld, Thurston Moore, Kevin Blechdom, Kembra Pfahler, Kim Gordon, Lydia Lunch, Peaches and many others filmed in the process of developing Her Noise and aimed at forming a research archive which remains publicly accessible.

Her Noise is curated by Electra and is produced by Electra in association with Forma.

The Her Noise catalogue is published by Forma.

Electra gratefully acknowledges the support of the following funders for the Her Noise season:

Arts Council England, South London Gallery, Elephant Trust, Feminist Review Trust, Goethe-Institut London, Henry Moore Foundation, Performing Rights Society Foundation and Women in Music. Media Sponsor:The Wire Magazine.