Confluence by Action Pyramid
6.1 Multichannel Sound Installation
Cody Dock is proud to announce Confluence by Action Pyramid, the culmination of its Lighting Up The Lea Environmental Arts Commission.
Taking cues from Cody Dock’s recent ecology report detailing the wealth of unexpected biodiversity within the tidal River Lea study area, this work looks to highlight this often hidden and unsung web of non-human life through sound recordings made during an extensive period of sonic exploration of the site.
Confluence draws on material gathered with various field recording methodologies including ‘drop-rig’ overnight recording setups, regular deployment of underwater hydrophones in the river, dock and pond, as well as utilising ultrasonic bat monitoring devices and contact microphones to detect hidden vibrations within the site’s plants and soils.
A special thank you to the creatures whose voices feature in this work, including those from the River Lea whose identities remain a mystery.
About the artist:
Working under the name Action Pyramid, Tom Fisher’s projects vary from site-specific sound installations for galleries and museums, to experimental sound works, documentary film, radio and music.
Utilising a multitude of recording techniques, often aimed at exploring and re-interpreting the seemingly unnoticed and unheard elements of our surroundings, he looks to present compositional and spatial expressions of these phenomena in a way that attempts to offer up alternative perspectives regarding perceptions of scale, hierarchical bias and the interconnectedness of living things.
He has performed and exhibited his work internationally, attending artist residencies in Iceland and the Finish Arctic as well as being the recipient of the 2021 Phonurgia Nova Prize in the Field Recording category.
About Lighting Up The Lea
Environmental Arts Commission
The commission aims to provide artists with a unique opportunity to reach local audiences, making a significant contribution to widening participation with the arts in Newham and increasing engagement with our natural environment.
Specifically, this year’s commission aims to highlight the previously un-celebrated ecology that exists within the 2 km stretch of tidal Lea River, showcasing the data collected by approximately 2000 local volunteers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Lower Lea is rapidly changing and without wider appreciation and awareness of its incredible urban biodiversity we are on track to lose this rich diversity, just as people are rediscovering this under-appreciated corner of London. My hope is that this commission will quite literally help shine a light on the Lea whilst also producing a new piece of immersive art that inspires people’s imagination.
Simon Myers, CEO Cody Dock
Supported by the Cockayne Arts Foundation
Cockayne is a private foundation based in San Francisco and one of the successor foundations of Columbia Foundation, a ground-breaking philanthropic foundation founded along enlightened principles in 1940 by Madeleine Haas Russell, mother of the current President of Cockayne and her brother, William Haas. True to Madeleine Haas Russell’s belief that young people can best discern the priorities of their time, in 2013 Columbia Foundation’s assets were divided between three successor family foundations designed to involve the next generations in giving. Cockayne is committed to carrying forward Columbia Foundation’s commitment to make a difference for the good with special focus on how this is achievable in the arts.
Made Possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment. The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are. The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
The Heritage Fund supported the creation of Cody Dock’s Lea River Ecology Report that gave rise to the Lighting Up the Lea Environmental Arts Commission through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund. In April 2024 Cody Dock was awarded a further £1.6 million for the development and delivery of its Lighting Up the Lea cultural program and construction of a new purpose made exhibition space dedicated to the Lea River’s extraordinary heritage that will open to the public in 2026.
Made Possible by Cockayne Grants for the Arts
The London Community Foundation is a registered community development charity, formed to bring about positive social change, to help Londoners facing disadvantage. Operating pan-London in 32 boroughs, it gives out grants (typically ranging from £500 to £50,000) to a range of charities and community groups across the city. It specialises in funding small and medium-sized community-based projects that do not attract mass public support. The London Community Foundation’s work is funded by individual philanthropists, companies, trusts, central and local government, social enterprises such as housing groups, and clinical commissioning groups.
This year represents 10 years of the London Community Foundation’s partnership with the Cockayne Foundation, supporting innovative and inspirational art and cultural events across the Capital. To celebrate the significance of this partnership, they will be offering exceptional funding opportunities to particularly ambitious projects, or those that show pressing artistic need. These will be awarded alongside their annual grant giving programme. As in previous years, the purpose of this fund is to support art as a way of enriching life experience. Grants are focused on arts projects in London that provide creative opportunities to artists from diverse cultures in the performing (music, opera, dance, theatre), literary or visual arts.
