TAKING LEAVE

Cityread London is an annual celebration of literature that aims to bring reading to life for the whole capital. Each April, Cityread asks London’s citizens, workers and visitors to pick up a book – the same book – and read it together.

Look Left Look Right were commissioned to help promote Cityread 2014 through a number of interactive, site-specific performances inspired by the selected novel My Dear, I Wanted To Tell You by Louisa Young. I produced sound design for two of these events; Taking Leave, a guided audio walk through Kensington and Piece Me Back Together, a performance installation.

On this 30 min guided audio walk participants joined Riley Purefoy as he returns to London, on leave from fighting on the Western Front. They journeyed with him through the city’s streets, experiencing their landscape and the memories they hold. Beginning in a tunnel at South Kensington Underground Station the walk passed through locations mentioned in the novel including Kensington Park. While the entire story was told through the audio track, actors playing some of the characters led the walk and appeared in the vicinity providing a visual performance timed to the audio.

Taking Leave was presented in Kensington, London on Sunday 6 April 2014

Read about the installation Piece Me Back Together