High Street Soundwalk Artist Talk: Jez riley French
One of the most influential Sound Artists of his generation, for this informal talk Jez will discuss his work revealing worlds of sound that are normally inaccessible to us, or that we overlook.
He will also lead us through some of the fascinating sounds from the “Breet Velvit Ake” soundwalk he has created for Whitefriargate.
A High Street Sound Walk for Hull: Breet Velvit Ake by Jez riley French, Whitefriargate
Available online from 10 September 2021
Historic England is working with the National Trust and Sound UK to launch a series of self-guided, immersive sound walks to help people discover the magic of their local high streets for Heritage Open Days.
Absolutely Cultured have been working with Sound UK in Hull, where artist Jez riley French’s soundwalk “Breet Velvit Ake” (‘bright velvet wander’ in the Yorkshire dialect) evokes Whitefriargate’s complex social, cultural and physical history.
Using a fascinating range of hidden, overlooked or usually inaudible sounds, it invites you to take time to listen, pause and discover this street in a new way. High Street Sound Walks are available via the Historic England website from 10 September: listen any time via your smartphone or other personal device: HistoricEngland.org.uk/HullSoundWalk
About Jez riley French
With a dizzying range of projects over the years, Jez has highlighted ecological issues by listening in to glaciers melting in Iceland, the Dolomites dissolving, aquatic environments and the species that inhabit them and rates of change in plant and soil systems. Other works have included buildings being vibrated by their locales or resonated by orchestral ensembles and the sounds of civic architecture in Japan. Apart from his personal work Jez acts as a lecturer, writer, researcher, curator and runs field trips globally focused on listening as an art form. He has a particular research interest in issues around gender / identity bias within sound cultures and archives. In addition, he designs and builds specialist microphones that have helped revolutionise the use of located sound in the arts, including in gallery settings, performance, location sound and sound design for film, tv, theatre and games.
His work has been shown at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, The Baltic, The Whitworth, Paradise Air (Japan), MoT – Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (Japan), Spikersuppa Lydgalleri , Oslo (Norway), Steklenik (Slovenia) & Museo Reina Sofia (Spain). During Hull UK City of Culture 2017, he was one of the artists behind the ‘Height of the Reeds’ project and also created an installation as part of the North Atlantic Flux festival, featuring the sound of the earth spinning on its axis beneath Iceland – a sound he has also now recorded below Whitefriargate for the soundwalk. https://jezrileyfrench.co.uk/
Past events
You and Me in HU3, Russell Boyce and George Norris. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery, 2024 © Jules Lister
You and Me in HU3, Russell Boyce and George Norris
Our Strength is in Our Connection, Miranda Van Rossum and Hanna Lutkin
Winner Breaks First, Luke Beech. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery © Jules Lister
Winner Breaks First, Luke Beech
Installation view. Oliver Ressler, Climate Feedback Loops. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2022 © Jules Lister
Climate Feedback Loops, Oliver Ressler
© Floral & Lace
Luxury Christmas Wreath Making With Floral & Lace @ Humber Street Gallery
Installation view. Various Artists, HSG Open Call Q1 2021. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists, 2021. © Jules Lister
HSG Open Call
Installation view, 2022. Harminder Judge, Ankles Absorbing Ash. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
Ankles Absorbing Ash, Harminder Judge
Installation view. Kara Chin, Show Real. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2022 © Jules Lister
Show Real, Kara Chin
Installation View, 2021. Jasleen Kaur, Flesh 'n' Blood. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
Flesh ‘n’ Blood, Jasleen Kaur
Installation view. HSG Open Call - Season Two. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2021. © Jules Lister
HSG Open Call - Season Two
Installation View, 2021. Leo Fitzmaurice, Enjoy Civic Life. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
Enjoy Civic Life, Leo Fitzmaurice
Fruit Factory Network site visit to Bloc Projects, Sheffield © Absolutely Cultured
Life as a Creative
Installation View. Practice in Place. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists, 2020. © Jules Lister
Practice In Place
HIPI Hang Out Forum, Absolutely Cultured © Absolutely Cultured
Arts Council England under £15k Applications: Top Tips with Deb Ashby
Installation view, 2019. Ollie Dook, Proboscidea Rappings. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Proboscidea Rappings, Ollie Dook
Dance Exchange Programme, Absolutely Cultured © Absolutely Cultured
Dance Exchange Hull
Hull Takeover: Previews © The Herd/The Roaring Girls/Just Club
Hull Takeover: Previews
Athena Papadopoulos, A Tittle-Tattle Tell-a-Tale-Heart, courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist 2019. © James Mulkeen
A Tittle-Tattle Tell-a-Tale Heart, Athena Papadopoulos
Installation view. Place To Place: Liverpool Biennial Touring Programme. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists 2019. © Rob Battersby
Place To Place: Liverpool Biennial Touring Programme
Jamie Reid XXXXX: Fifty Years of Subversion and The Spirit © James Mulkeen
Jamie Reid XXXXX: Fifty Years of Subversion and The Spirit
Diasporas Now UK Tour at Humber Street Gallery, 2024 © Abbie Jennings
Diasporas Now UK Tour
BOOTLEG SHREG & FRIENDS, 2023. Bruce Asbestos © Jules Lister
BOOTLEG SHREG & FRIENDS, Bruce Asbestos
Baa's House, Hetain Patel. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery, 2023 © Jules Lister
Baa's House, Hetain Patel
Installation view. Lou Lou Sainsbury, Earth is a Deadname, 2022. Commissioned and produced by Gasworks. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. Photo: Jules Lister
Earth is a Deadname, Lou Lou Sainsbury
Nobody by Motionhouse. Image © Dan Tucker
Nobody: A Dance-Circus Adventure
Installation view, 2022. INTER_CHANGE Showcase. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
INTER_CHANGE Showcase
Installation view. Ashley Holmes, Trust Melody. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2022 © Jules Lister
Trust Melody, Ashley Holmes
Installation view, 2021. In Conversation as Collective Strategy. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
In Conversation as Collective Strategy
50 Queers for 50 Years Workshop © Chris Pepper
Creative Case for Diversity: An Introduction
Fruit Factory Network site visit to Bloc Projects, Sheffield © Absolutely Cultured
Introduction to Fundraising in the Arts
Installation View. HSG Open Call - Season One. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists, 2021. © Jules Lister
HSG Open Call - Season One (2021)
Chatty Hull, 2019 © Absolutely Cultured
Making work with and for communities
Installation view, 2020. Jamie Crewe, Solidarity & Love. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister.
Jamie Crewe, Solidarity & Love
Model City, Absolutely Cultured © Tom Arran
Volunteer Community Support and Crisis Response
Installation view, 2020. Lucy Clout, ZZZ. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2020. © Jules Lister
Lucy Clout, ZZZ
Installation View, 2019. Aniara Omann, Equanipolis. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Equanipolis, Aniara Omann
Installation View. Mike S Redmond and Faye Coral Jones (MSR FCJ), Ecstatic Rituals.Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Ecstatic Rituals
IETM Hull © Tom Arran
Emerging Cultural Leaders Mobility Bursary 2019 - Information Event
PRS Foundation's New Music Biennial 2019, Absolutely Cultured © Tom Arran
PRS Foundation New Music Biennial 2019
Cut, Humber Street Gallery 2019. © James Mulkeen
Cut, Richard Houguez & Graham Jones
Candoco Dance Company © Hugo Glendinning
IETM Hull 2019 Plenary Meeting
Oh The Night! - imitating the dog. Urban Legends: Northern Lights, Absolutely Cultured © Tom Arran
Urban Legends: Northern Lights
Installation view. It Takes A Village. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists 2019. © James Mulkeen
It Takes a Village
Perches and Flyways, 2023. Creative Connections Artists, Juneau Projects and Jennifer Holtridge © Jules Lister
Perches and Flyways, Creative Connections Artists with Jennifer Holtridge and Juneau Projects
Pearson Primary Portraits, 2023 © Jules Lister
Pearson Primary Portraits, Class 5
Installation view. Bloomberg New Contemporaries. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists, 2022 © Jules Lister
Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2022
Kristin McGuire © Studio McGuire / Nikki Rummer © Camilla Greenwell
An evening of physical performance with Kristin McGuire and Nikki Rummer
© Middle Child
Out Loud Scratch Night with Middle Child and Silent Uproar
© Pheobe riley Law
High Street Soundwalk Artist Talk: Jez riley French
Installation view. In My Room, Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings. Courtesy of Focal Point Gallery and the artists, 2020 © Anna Lukala
In My Room, Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings
Installation View, 2021. Leo Fitzmaurice, Autosuggestions. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist. © Jules Lister
Autosuggestions, Leo Fitzmaurice
Gipsyville Christmas Tree, 2020 © Absolutely Cultured
Christmas Activities 2020
HIPI Hang Out Forum, Absolutely Cultured © Absolutely Cultured
1:1 Advice Surgeries with Arts Council England
50 Queers for 50 Years Workshop © Chris Pepper
Creative Micro-Commission Programme
Nnena Kalu, Wrapping. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Wrapping, Nnena Kalu
Frances Disley, The Cucumber Fell in the Sand. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
The Cucumber Fell In The Sand, Frances Disley
Installation View. Jade Montserrat, Instituting Care. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Jade Montserrat: Instituting Care
Ella Dorton, Journey to the Centre of the Couch (Couches & Other Good Ideas). Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artist, 2019. © Jules Lister
Journey To The Centre Of The Couch (Couches & Other Good Ideas), Ella Dorton
Man On The Moon Keisha Thompson. IETM Hull 2019 © Keisha Thompson
IETM Hull 2019 Artistic Programme
Installation view. Measures of Life, The Lumen Prize for Digital Art. Courtesy of Humber Street Gallery and the artists 2018. © Tom Arran
