The Hermes Experiment in the Conservatory: Instead of Many Islands, Let Us Be a Mighty River

A collaboration between The Hermes Experiment and five international sound artists, this immersive concert-installation responds to the climate emergency.

Through live, semi-improvised performance, musicians from The Hermes Experiment will interact with sonic essays and interventions by Monthati Masebe (South Africa), Kathy Hinde (UK), Sandeep Bhagwati (India/Germany), Bint Mbareh (Palestine) and Martha Hincapié Charry (Colombia), each sharing their perspective on the climate crisis. Under the musical direction of Sandeep Bhagwati, these perspectives, symbolized as 'islands,' are connected into a unified call for action, the 'mighty river.'

The project is contextualized by panel discussions that bring together the perspectives of activists and researchers with those of the artists. Designed for the Barbican Conservatory, the installation uses the entire space, immersing the audience in a collaborative sound world that brings together diverse calls for climate justice.