dora grabkowska
shadows
A Sonic Portrait of Nine Elms
SHADOWS is an experimental, sonic portrait of the Nine Elms development in South London. Each sound whispers a story of urban life, where multiple realities coexist.
It’s about the darker layers beneath the facade of urban gentrification – a relentless desire for more, that fuels a tiered system of possessive individualism. It’s about pursuing an unreachable goal, and never truly being content with what you have.
From the industrial echoes of its past, Nine Elms has re-emerged as a haven of prosperity and sophistication, with its new distinctive landmarks. The Sky Pool – high above, where wealth resides, it casts shadows on those below.
All sounds were recorded across the area of Nine Elms using a field recorder. They paint a diverse urban soundscape, from mechanical noises, human voices, the echoes of construction, the birds of Battersea Park, the beeping of supermarket tills, the crashing of waves, to the clashing barge creaks. This method of music making, using recorded sounds as raw material, is known as musique concrète, a French term for concrete music.
DORA GRABKOWSKA
Dora grew up in Poland and moved to England in 2006, where she completed a degree in Design and Applied Arts. Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Arts & Humanities at the Royal College of Art in London.
Ranging from micro to macro, many of her projects take ideas beyond the traditional constraints of scale and mediums. With over 15 years of multi-disciplinary practice, she has engaged in a diverse array of projects spanning branding, illustration, product design, participatory and performance art, sculpture, sound, and moving image.
She has delivered projects and campaigns for renowned global brands such as Suntory Group, RedBull, Workday, TED events, Bloomsbury Festival, The National Theatre. She has also exhibited her work internationally at art galleries and museums. Most recently, her ‘What Made Me’ participatory art project was exhibited at the Trapholt Museum of Modern Art and Design in Denmark.
In 2016, she was shortlisted for the Women in Innovation Award by Innovate UK and she received the DYCP Award from Arts Council England in December 2022.
copyright doragrabkowska©2024
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