WET SOUNDS 2008
6-19 July – United Kingdom

http://www.newtoy.org/wetsounds.html

The UK´s first underwater sound festival, Wet Sounds 2008, launches its first national tour in London at the London Fields Lido in Hackney, 3pm on 6 July 2008, where the public is invited to experience a coolectio of especially made sound art from around the world.

Wet Sounds is a mobile gallery for sound art, which is curated each year from work submitted by artists worldwide. The work is exhibited at leisure centres and universities nationwide. This year, for the first time ever, the exhibition will be a touring underwater sound festival, 6-19 July, visiting nine pools across the country.

The average person does not get to experience sound art as it is generally reserved for a niche audience in a gallery. Wet Sounds makes sound art accessible to the public through a unique listening experience. As part of the normal public pool admission, the audience floats or dives through water immersed in sound.

Sound travels 4 times quicker in water than in air, due to the water´s density, it is perceived not only by the ears but also by the bones and the body. The sensation is similar to a floatation tank effect. The activity promotes relaxation, listening, openness to sound art and enhanced audio perception.

The tour returns to London Fields LIdo on 19 July, where it will end with a special live performance by Nurse With Wound and Andrew LIles.