Guildhall School students create augmented reality installations in City of London

Four newly composed pieces by students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama have been unveiled today at London Wall Place as part of augmented reality (AR) installation, HARMONY. The pieces, inspired by four spaces across the area, can be accessed for free via smartphone and feature 3D animation overlaid onto a user’s phone camera feed, enabling viewers to listen to the pieces and watch the animation as they move around the space.

Produced by Guildhall Live Events and its award-winning creative director, Dan Shorten, HARMONY will be on show across London Wall Place from today. Dan Shorten led a team of graduate animators from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to create the four digital works which make up the AR element of the project. He said: ‘Collectively, the augmented reality, music compositions and totems draw inspiration from this magical blend of characteristics in the City of London and celebrate its place-specific creative energy by balancing contrasting elements unique to each location, such as the ancient and the modern at St. Alphage’s Gardens, the flora and fauna at Salter’s Gardens, the groundedness and flight at highwalks, and the stillness and movement at One London Wall Place water feature.’

Musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), including Gareth Davies (flute), Anna Bastow (viola), James Maynard (trombone) and Andy Harper (clarinet), performed the works as well as mentoring Guildhall School students from the Electronic and Produced Music course in their composition. Each piece takes inspiration from the environment in which it is set and features a solo acoustic instrumental part – flute, trombone, viola and clarinet. Gareth Davies, LSO principal flute, said: ‘After such a long time not being able to work with other musicians, it's been wonderful to collaborate with young composers from the Guildhall School. The future seemed quite bleak at times and so it is particularly important that we've been able to help and encourage the younger generation in writing new pieces which can be shared with people as they gradually come back into the city.’

The four artworks have been installed at distinct zones across London Wall Place, visitors will experience the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly on the highwalks, a seahorse leaping out of the One London Wall Place water feature, a griffin taking flight from the Roman St Alphage’s ruins and a hummingbird soaring over Salter’s Gardens.

Co-commissioned by Culture Mile and Brookfield Properties, the four artworks form the second phase of the 2022 PLAY festival, a series of larger scale in-person performances at London Wall Place centred around a custom-designed pavilion by the ruins. Wendy Hyde, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee said: ‘Culture Mile’s ongoing collaboration with Brookfield Properties continues to present innovative and bold new work, which showcases how culture and commerce can work together to encourage people back to the City - a dynamic, vibrant place to live, work and visit.’

You can find more information about Culture Mile at their website.