An exploration of ascension which falls into spheres of decay and nothingness.
Winner of the composition competition COMPASS Prize 2014 at the University of Birmingham. 

Composed in 2014.

Presence - Absence

Gestört

Vast

Broken Ethereality

A composition based around the sound of ticking (the sound of a metronome), inspired by György Ligeti's Poème Symphonique and also by various theorists' philosophies on time (in particular the theories of Henri Bergson). 

 Composed in 2015.

Tick

A collection of sounds from the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Composed in 2015.

A Jar Full Of Eindhoven

A metallic synthetic soundworld deriving from sounds of cymbals. 

Composed in 2015.

Cimbaal

Workshop: Tuesday 24 January 2017

A collective, collaborative electroacoustic piece by students at the University Centre Doncaster. The piece explores sounds recorded from around the University Centre Doncaster campus.

Sounds of Campus from workshop at University Centre Doncaster

The waves of the sea ebb and flow, sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes is treacherous, continuing to rise and fall, dispersing without change.

This work received the klingt gut! Young Artist Award in 2018.

Composed in 2017.

Water Waves

This is a 2 minute extract mash-up from the sound workshop held at the Ikon Art Gallery, Birmingham on Saturday 13 May 2017. The workshop explored creating soundscapes inspired by the exhibition programme, in particular drawing on themes of water, influenced by the Jean Painlevé exhibition. The workshop was with 16-21 year olds who had little or no experience of working with sounds.

2 minute extract from sound workshop at Ikon

Dreaming Waves is inspired by the work, Inventions for Radio: The Dreams by Delia Derbyshire and Barry Bermange, in particular the movements Falling and Sea. This piece explores the cyclic motion and sensations of dreaming with small pockets of memories and abstract sounds surfacing, creating an enveloping sound world of electronically generated material, archival material (from DD110) and source recordings. The structure of this work is also inspired by a sketch from Delia’s notes, in which the visual score has helped emanate the use of space, frequency content within the work and larger gestural structures.
 
Many thanks go to the Delia Derbyshire Archive at The John Rylands Library, University of Manchester for the DD110 sound material and image for this work. Special thanks also go to Mark Ayres, Dr Janette Martin and Dr David Butler.

Dreaming Waves [8 channel stereo reduction]

Delia Derbyshire Day 2018 – online edition – Friday 23 November

Explore www.deliaderbyshireday.com for further information about the piece and how this work was inspired by the Delia Derbyshire Archive.

Image Credit: Andrea Pazos

Dreaming Waves - Exclusive binaural version prepared for Delia Derbyshire Day 2018 [online edition]

A series of dreams … Awake? Or still dreaming?  

The sensations of falling, walking, moving vehicles, flowing water … what does this symbolise in our dreams? What images and thoughts does this evoke as we meander through the conscious-unconscious states of our minds? Awake? Or still dreaming?  

This work surges between field recordings and close microphone recordings; blurring and shifting between abstract and real sound worlds. The textures highlight the complexity of these states, warping and distorting to provide an insight into our deepest selves. 

Full work available at: https://obsmusic2.bandcamp.com/album/awakenings

Distorted Illusions [Excerpt]

Image: Froanna by Percy Wyndham Lewis, 1940, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts. 

This is an 8-channel composition in response to the sketch, Froanna by Wyndham Lewis. Considering the lines colours, shapes and shading of the sketch this composition uses close-up microphone recordings of chalk on paper with blue noise and electronic sounds to transport the listener to an abstract interpretation of the emotive content of the work... a portrait of Lewis' wife, Froanna. Follow the gestural strokes of chalk on paper... What do you hear?  What do you see?
 
... a perpetual gaze... 
... a clasped posture... 
... a wife who was hidden from view... 
... intensity...
... a sense of strain...
... an unfolding from the colour... blue... 
 
Sketching Froanna was realised in the Electroacoustic Music Studios (BEAST) at the University of Birmingham between March and May 2019, with support from the Midlands3Cities Doctoral Training Partnership and AHRC.

This work was commissioned by The Barber Institute of Fine Arts for the #BarberLates event, Nocturnes: A Woman Refigured held on 14 May 2019.

May 2019

Sketching Froanna [Binaural Version]

... coins 
... foil 
... metal pan 
... cellophane 
... bubblewrap 
... noise

A collection of found sound objects originally explored in an hands-on creative workshop exploring sound, object and mark making. This workshop was a collaboration between sound artist Emma Margetson, The Barber Collective and The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Learning and Engagement Team. The recorded found sound objects from this workshop were repurposed for this eight-channel composition, Abstracted Objects.

Abstracted Objects [Binaural Version] [Excerpt]

Emma Margetson (1993) is a composer of acousmatic music based in Birmingham and is currently studying for a PhD in Electroacoustic Composition at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Annie Mahtani and Scott Wilson funded by the AHRC Midlands3Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. This follows an MA Music in Electroacoustic composition/sonic art pathway (2015); and BMus with honours (2014) from the University of Birmingham. Her works have been performed across the UK and internationally including performances at BEAST (University of Birmingham, UK), [ ex_nihilo ] Festival (Mexico), MA/IN Festival (Italy), Sound Junction (University of Sheffield, UK), Musica Electronic Nova (Poland), Noisefloor Festival (Staffordshire University, UK) and more. Emma also works as an assistant for BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre).

Emma Margetson

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks