Friday Lates: August
An evening of live activations featuring Sister Midnight, Jacken Elswyth and The Vocal Constructivists in the courtyard, responding to Tai Shani's The Spell or The Dream.
Booking advised, Walk-ups welcome. This is an 18+ event.
| Dates | Fri 15 Aug 2025 |
| Times | 6pm-9.30pm |
| Space | Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court |
| Price | Free |
For the first Friday Late, the courtyard will be taken over by residents from South London cooperative organisation and radio station Sister Midnight, along with live performances by the Vocal Constructivists and Jacken Elswyth, folk musician, banjo player and member of Shovel Dance Collective.
image: Jacken Elswyth, courtesy of artist
image: Lottie, Lenny & Sophie of Sister Midnight
Artists In Residence
Biographies
Sister Midnight
Sister Midnight is a community co-op based in Catford, South East London, who are working to create community-led spaces for culture in Lewisham Borough. Made up of over 1000 members and led by Lenny Watson, Sophie Farrell, and Lottie Pendlebury, the collective is currently working to open a community owned music venue in Catford centre, and also runs a grassroots radio station based in Hither green.
Jacken Elswyth
Jacken Elswyth is a London-based folk musician, banjo player, and instrument builder. In her music making she is focused on exploring traditional tunes, developing extrapolations on folk styles and techniques, and investigating drone, ambience, and improvisation within and beyond folk music. She organises the Betwixt & Between tape series as one avenue of these investigations. She plays and records solo and in collaboration - with Shovel Dance Collective, Sullow, and others. She also builds and repairs banjos and other instruments, with a focus on folk craft and vernacular styles. This practice and these instruments inform and facilitate her music making.
The Vocal Constructivists
Founded by Jane Alden in 2011 to give the first all-vocal performance of Cornelius Cardew’s Treatise (1967), the Vocal Constructivists now have an established reputation for offering adventurous performances, live and online. Coming from diverse backgrounds that include classical music, dance, mime and noise art, they specialize in the realization of works in open notation. Featured composers include Barbara Alden, Mark Applebaum, Robert Ashley, Wojtek Blecharz, Anthony Braxton, Neely Bruce, Zeynep Bulut, Jan Duszyński, Nye Ffarrabas, Carole Finer, Jin Hi Kim, Ron Kuivila, Paula Matthusen, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, Michael Parsons, Tom Phillips, Lauren Redhead, Bogusław Schäffer, Margrit Schenker, Tomasz Sikorski, Daniel J. Wolf, and Christian Wolff. Vivid concert presentations have led to invited performances at Arcola Theatre, Café Oto, The Forge, Jack (NYC), Peckham multi-storey car park, St John’s Smith Square, South London Gallery, V22 Summer Club, and festivals in the UK, Ireland, and the US.
Part of The Spell or The Dream, a major new commission by Somerset House Studios artist Tai Shani. Centered around a striking new sculpture for the Somerset House courtyard, this multifaceted work includes a 24/7 radio broadcast, live talks and performances, and an extensive family programme, inviting a host of guest contributors to collectively dream of possible futures.