The days are getting lighter

Moving my ‘newsletter’ to substack, I’d like to write here in a more personal and reflective way. At least I will try!

Last week I had the pleasure to perform at the Turner Contemporary museum (Margate), for Turner Lates x Margate Radio, a closing party for the exhibition ‘Anya Gallacio: preserve’. I have had a monthly show with Margate Radio for a few years now, and have done some beautiful collaborations with them. My most recent mixedtape ‘Harp special’ is archived now and you can listen to all my shows here.

I was touched to be invited into such a beautiful evening, where every sound, object and scent seemed weaved together to create something magical. I was humbled to perform alongside The Vernon Spring & Yoshika Colwell, Cherelle Sappleton, Richard Pike, Lex Blondin, People Care Planet Care, Polly Bennett, and more.
In the Foyle room, I presented a bespoke soundscape called ‘preserving / nurturing’, responding to Anya’s work. I have put it on Bandcamp if you are curious.
~ Oscillating between reverberating tidal pool bubbles, bird songs and airy textures, the piece explores the idea of a change of state or season, echoing the decaying of the gerbera flowers and the rotting of the apples in the gallery.
Dipping in and out of the water, the soundscape invites the listener to close their eyes, melt into the atmosphere of the room and take a moment to consider their relationship with nature. ~
As part of this immersive installation facing the sea, @peoplecareplanetcare created a scent inspired by the exhibition. You could close your eyes and imagine an orchard, a woodland, mosses and ferns growing on the branches of an ancient tree.

Recently, I’ve been very excited about preparing an upcoming art residency in Japan, at Studio Kura. I will be spending four weeks at their facilities in May 2025. It seems like a very open and friendly place, for anyone who is looking for a residency. This is truly a dream come true. There, I will be making new visual and sound work, taking inspiration from the local rural area in the Fukuoka prefecture.
I think my art practice is about staying curious and trying out new techniques, instruments and devices. Calling for my inner child, sometimes it’s just about being playful in creativity. Embracing mistakes and imperfections makes me happy.

For the purpose of travelling long distance and packing light, I’ve been researching light and small gear to bring with me and form a new music / visual arts setup.
So far I’ve found a few things :
* A very light and small sound interface, the TC Helicon Go Twin
* I’ve decided to get the Zoom H1n portable audio recorder to travel instead of my bulky Zoom H4
* And the most exciting : after trying the Korg Volca bass as a substitute for my Pro-1 and not being so convinced, I settled for the Moog Mavis which is an absolute beast weighting only 400g, with a mini patch bay!! I’m not so much of a modular synth person but I think the time spent at Studio Kura will give me the opportunity to dive into this a bit more.
Some bigger gear won’t be able to change though, as I am planning to take my keystep pro and microcosm pedal. But the rest will be so much lighter than on my last trip!

Although January is a month of general gloom and slowing down, I’ve had some small moments of beauty. I think we had two days of sun in total, and one of them was so still and magical. We took a walk around the tidal pool and the water was as still as glass, while the moon and Venus were bathing in blue and gold hues. A lot of the time, I miss the green of the trees and wish I was hiding in the depths of a forest, but in moments like these I feel so blessed to live by the sea where the open skies can feel so surreal.

I’ve also made good progress with some tracks we are working on with Aki-san and our project Kodama, the continuity of my album ‘Energy Flow’ in collaboration with Japanese Koto players.
I’ve been feeling very slow working on this alongside my video editing work (my ‘real’ job, ha!), but one small thing after another, I finally feel like I’m making progress in the editing and production of the 3 tracks after recording Aki in September. This reminds me that we recorded together this brilliant Margate Radio show special hosted by Al ‘Hollow Gold’. Go have a listen!

I think we should remember that it’s okay to slow down in the winter, like a lot of creatures hibernating. I like to think that we are companion species.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this slightly more personal letter,

Take care,

Clémentine