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Cosmo Sheldrake Live at the British Library
The ability to coax therapy-adjacent ocean sounds from synth technology is one thing, but for Cosmo Sheldrake’s LP, the artist took a shortcut (if youno less, an exhibition exploring both the invaluable role of sound documentation on conservation, and the art built around it. And as the composer/producer took to the stage on opening night to showcase this “homage” to the ocean, 10 years in the making, the pure joy of performing the piece was in full evidence. On the record, tracks such as human ‘interjections’ could be described as a little on the nose, taking us out of the intended “world-building”. Not so onstage, as, with a megawatt grin on his face, Sheldrake appeared maestro of all elements of lighting design, staging and atmosphere, almost in conversation, if you will, with the sea creatures at the heart of it. What unfolded next was both ethereal, majestic (all the adjectives you’d expect) but also masterfully tuneful and mischievous in outlook. An enchanting and thoroughly moving evening built around a playful, innovative piece of work that dips and dives around the line of novelty – and almost Disneyfied levels of ‘wholesomeness’ – to become something truly memorable.
