Don’t miss Delia Derbyshire Day 2016!

Taking place on Sun 17 Jan, DD Day 2016 is a special music and visual art event celebrating the fascinating work and archive of Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001), a pioneer of electronic music, who worked for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and is perhaps most famous for realising the iconic, original Dr Who theme in 1963.

Throughout her career, Delia had a close affinity with the visual arts, working on BBC projects about artists including Henry Moore, Francisco Goya and Eduardo Paolozzi, and collaborating with visual artists like Yoko Ono and Madelon Hooykaas.

DD Day 2016 will showcase this interplay between music and visual art, and will screen two exciting new donations of experimental art films to the archive, for which Delia provided the music.

We will also present the premiere performances of two new creative responses to the Delia Derbyshire Archive by artists Mary Stark (visual live art) and Mandy Wigby featuring Howard Jacobs as The Architects of Rosslyn (electronic and acoustic music).

The event will include a Q&A with the artists as well as filmmakers Madelon Hooykaas and Di Mainstone, chaired by Dr David Butler, Senior Lecturer of Screen Studies at University of Manchester and principal researcher of the Delia Derbyshire Archive – exploring the relationship of music and visual art and Delia’s work across these disciplines. During the day, there will also be hands-on family music workshops and a pop-up live improvised music performance to fill our building with Delia-n spirit.

 

The outline for DD Day 2016:

Tardis Music Quest: A Music-Making Family Workshop
11:30 – 13:30 & 14:30 – 15:30pm
Join us for a fun hands-on music-making workshop in the spirit of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001). This will be a playful and collaborative music experience for all the family to explore and experiment with sound and loops. Age 6+, no musical experience necessary.

Live pop-up improvised music performance by Janet Wolstenholme
17 – 17:30pm
Inspired by the music and working methods of Delia Derbyshire

Film screenings, new commission performances and Q&A discussion
17:30 – 20:30pm:

One of these days

Directed by Elsa Alexandra Stansfield & Else Madelon Hooykaas
30 min, NL, 1973, U cert, in English
One of these days was made as an image impression of a ‘person of today’ Marte Röling, an Amsterdam designer. The sounds throughout the day play an important role. The people talking and Marte’s reactions stimulated by what they say. At the end she realises her dream to decorate an ocean liner with favourite form: mouths. Music by Delia Derbyshire.

Two Houses
Directed by Elisabeth Kozmian
41 mins, UK, U cert, 1980
In 1977 two architects bought derelict houses in Kentish Town, North London and set out to renovate them. Being very different people, their ways of working and approach were completely different. Symbolically this film is about the process of renewal, about change overcoming decay, about courage and hard work. On a more pedestrian level the film is about people converting their houses, an occupation very dear to British homeowners who are always tinkering with do-it-yourself. For this film Delia composed a piano score.

Delia Derbyshire Day 2016 event booking details
Date SUN 17 JAN 2016
Book your tickets here.