HEAR YOUS! An initial report from Belfast sound art collective UMBRELLA

In the summer of 2017 a group of artists based in Belfast formed UMBRELLA. The group is a collective that aims to promote arts practices related to sound, listening and aural environments. Meeting at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, the group collaborates on the production of artworks and public events that explore their localities.

This presentation will present some of the public activities carried out by UMBRELLA since its inception. These have explored social and architectural environments in Belfast through the divergent practices of the group's members. In September of 2017, seven members of the collective presented Hear Yous, a series of situated performances of new works amplified using handheld megaphones. In December of 2017, eight members of the group produced the concert Umbrella in the Stairwell at the Sonic Arts Research Centre. In April 2018 the group produced the anthology film Same Place, drawing together individual audiovisual reflections on a map of public and private spaces in Belfast.

Other key issues emerge, including the potential for socially-engaged sonic arts practice in Belfast, and the question of sustainability of artists collectives in the current economic environment.