Marcus Coates: "Grounded" AV Festival, North East England, UK

Marcus Coates with Geoff Sample – Grounded

Venue: The Mall, Grange Road, Middlesbrough

Time: Mon – Wed & Fri – Sat: 9:00 – 17:30 | Thu: 9:00 – 20:00 | Sun: 11:00– 17:00

Marcus Coates, in collaboration with sound recordist Geoff Sample, broadcasts a series of birdsong recordings in Middlesbrough's main shopping centre, The Mall. Using the existing public address system, Coates audio works feature local bird species native to the Tees Estuary and North East England.

Busy shoppers will hear the sounds of large flocks of waders feeding on local mudflats at low tide, alongside the hubbub of species calling and probing each other to keep flocks together and to signal feeding and foraging times. Broadcast at close intervals throughout the day, Coates brings an unexpected soundtrack to this indoor urban environment, drawing some surprising parallels and contrasts between bird life and human behaviour.

Now Hear This is a series of audio works presented in various public spaces across Middlesbrough. Encompassing several new commissions, the project features sound works by artists selected for their various interests in the complex relationships between sound, space and location.

Adopting diverse modes of broadcast and public address, Now Hear This offers a range of listening experiences and unexpected sonic interventions into our everyday urban environment, creating surprising and engaging encounters with broadcast material.