The Hermes Experiment: Familiar Objects by Various, Ó (2022/2022), South Bank Centre, London, United Kingdom

Familiar Objects is the result of composers taking familiar objects and treating them musically. The title is based on a poem from Ali Lewis’ poetry cycle about everyday objects including tea, bathrooms and buses, around the reading of which The Hermes Experiment improvises. This programme brings together humorous and performative responses to moments of the day-to-day, including a score made out of a dirty tea towel (Andy Ingamells), a graphic score made out of Instagram DMs (Mira Calix) and a song cycle on fruit (Kerry Andrew). Familiar Objects showcases not only the versatility of the ensemble, made up of harp, clarinet, soprano and double bass, and the range of compositional styles within contemporary art music, but also shows how much inspiration there is to be found in the everyday.