This Easter, hear the tide of the river Thames transformed into music

On Saturday, Trinity Buoy Wharf, Dockland’s most exciting arts quarter, will host the launch of the next chapter of one of the most interesting and unusual music projects in London.

Floodtide, by algorithmic composer John Eacott, makes music from the movement of tidal water. A submerged sensor gathers information from the tidal flow which is converted into musical notation to be read by musicians. The piece is an ambient work in which the audience may drift in and out of the music, returning later to see how it has changed. No performance of Floodtide is the same, with the music being constantly affected by environmental factors such as wind, air pressure, rain, and even passing boats

This Saturday sees the launch of the Listening Post, a mechanical music machine which plays notes determined by the river. The launch will be accompanied by the Dulwich Folk Choir and Joji Hirota’s Japanese Taiko drummers.

The launch of the Listening post at the Thames Quayside at 1.30pm will be preceded by an opening talk from John Eacott with refreshments at 1pm. The performance will last until 3.30pm and audiences are invited to come and go throughout, allowing them to explore more of Trinity Buoy Wharf.

On Easter Sunday and Monday from 11am to 4pm, inside Trinity Buoy Wharf’s Chainstore, visitors can watch musical notes emerge as they are generated by the tide, and then go to the riverside to hear them!

With all Floodtide events this weekend being free of charge, this is not one to miss this Easter.

Trinity Buoy Wharf