Swiss Church in LondonEglise Suisse de LondresSchweizerkirche in LondonChiesa Svizzera a LondraBaselgia svizra a Londra

Please note this event is now sold out.

Join in this workshop by Aliaskar Abarkas and guest artist Robert Mitchell to explore a vision of a contemporary sonic myth and compose an anthem for whistling. Participate in sonic and somatic activities as we delve into the possibilities of developing our musical language. This workshop aims to create new compositions that respond to the architecture and unique characteristics of the Swiss Church.

Creating a nomadic space for experimentation and learning, these workshops aim to explore the social power of collective whistling, fostering community connections, and peer building. Each session is followed by a composer responding to the project with a song for collective whistling.

Robert Mitchell is a British jazz pianist, composer, and poet with 30 years of global performances. He is a professor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has won numerous awards, including the BBC Jazz and Paul Hamlyn Composition Awards. His latest works include The Flame and the poetry collection Recipes For Peace (2024).

Aliaskar works in collaboration with seven arts organisations on a series of sound workshops, commissions, panel discussions and more. Collaborating organisations for this project include Barbican Centre, Cubitt, ICA, Sadler’s Wells, Swiss Church, TACO! and The Mosaic Rooms.

The project is funded by Arts Council England and Rose Choreographic School.

Please note: This event will be followed by a celebration for the

 

About Aliaskar Abarkas

Aliaskar is an Iranian artist and writer whose practice is deeply rooted in alternative and collective education. Through a performative approach, he captures the dynamics between people, forging a shift from individual to collective experience. His projects, notably The Community Whistling Choir, explore themes of communication, conviviality, and transformation of self and knowledge. Together with the participants, he documents the process to produce films and compose sound and text.

Throughout 2023 – 2024, Aliaskar used the Swiss Church to work on his project, The Community Whistling Choir. The ongoing project, explores communication, conviviality, and participation through the unique medium of whistling, transcending conventional language.

As part of his residency, Aliaskar invited a diverse group to engage in monthly rehearsals. These sessions, enriched with workshops, exercises, and listening sessions facilitated by the artist and guest collaborators, aimed to collectively craft whistling soundscapes. Collaborating with musicians, the participants recorded whistling sounds, creating compositions for streaming on radio stations, a music album, and this live performance, All the Whistlers: Aliaskar Abarkas & Robert Mitchell, at the Swiss Church.