The Sound Nest

Produced by That’s Life in collaboration with artist Jane Cassidy, The Sound Nest is an interactive music-making experience set within stunning, synchronized visual projections. Designed for inclusivity, the project allows groups to create harmonious music together performing on color-coded instruments called sound nests, in response to an animated musical score. The music and visuals were co-created over a year with participants with intellectual disabilities attending That’s Life arts programmes.

The Official Opening will take place on December 4^th at 12 noon.

The Experience

Five individuals can come together and, with minimal instruction, engage in an inspiring, shared music-making session. A projection of an animated graphic score guides participants through an intuitive, game-like interaction, synchronizing their actions to the rhythm of coloured balls moving toward them. By following the animated projections, participants creating a harmonious shared musical experience, without having to know how to read a traditional musical score.

Music Writing Process

The music for this installation was co-composed by individuals with intellectual disabilities, who played a central role in the creative process. Over the course of a year, the group met weekly to develop the pieces featured in the installation.

The Visual Score

The animated musical score was crafted by collaborating artist Jane Cassidy. Each week, Jane incorporated new musical ideas from the group into updated visual animations, creating a bespoke accessible musical score.

Visual Projections

Surrounding the performance area, we have created an immersive projected experience where bright colourful projections are synchronized to the music. The imagery for the installation was created by art-makers with intellectual disabilities during stop-motion animation workshops led by Jane Cassidy. These classes gave participants the opportunity to add a deeply personal and artistic dimension to the installation.

Jane Cassidy

Jane Cassidy is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator from Galway. Her work spans installation, video, music composition and electronics to create immersive audio-visual environments. Her main interest lies in multi-sensory work and creating a sense of synesthesia for the viewer, most often in response to the mysticism of nature. Cassidy has had solo shows at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Tennessee; Pallas Projects Dublin; the Mobile Museum of Art, Alabama; the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama; the University of New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Michigan. She most recently collaborated with Bru Theatre on Somnium as part of the Galway International Arts Festival and with Arts Alive on their Identity project at Nuns Island Theatre.

That’s Life

That’s Life is an award-winning arts and personal development program of the Brothers of Charity Services Galway, who offer opportunities for people with intellectual disability to
discover and realise their artistic potential. Working with established artists and organisations, they create beautiful work that contributes to the cultural and artistic life of their community.

Credits

Music Composition
Natasha Lydon, Michael Waldron, Karen Breen, Tiago Da Silva, Martin McDonagh, Aine Nolan, Karen Breen, Jane Cassidy, Mary Connelly, Lorraine Mahon, Andrew Madec and Aengus Hackett

Visual projections
Paul Cawley, Daniel Flynn, Harry Lloyd, Henry McLoughlin and Michelle Garvey

Visual Music Score – Jane Cassidy
Music facilitators – Andrew Madec & Aengus Hackett
Theatre Technician – Mark Byrne
Set Construction – Tommy Casby & Peter Casby
Backing Track recording & production – Andrew Madec
Installation Design – Peter Casby, Jane Cassidy, Andrew Madec