Photographs by Leila Houston

Loved this visit to the museum- i highly recommend people visit.

''The Musical Museum tells the changing story of how people have captured and listened to music over the last four centuries. From tiny music boxes to the Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ in our concert hall, the collection includes an impressive array of instruments and inventions, including reproducing pianos, orchestrions, self-playing violins, pipe organs, gramophones & synthesizers. Find out how music was recorded and reproduced, see and hear them in action.'' (website) 

i went there for music boxes and i got more from the visit than i ever thought imaginable. Loved the talk and demos. Loved seeing the detail and the makings of these machines in person. Especially loved the performance with the Wurlitzer by Chris Barber. Seeing this and hearing the talk/s i couldnt help thinking how my interactive (digital), immersive works relate to the magical, immersive experiences these instruments create.    
Lots more to think about and write about at a later stage.
Im looking at building a physical music box inspired by old and new creations and designs as well as conversations. 

The project is called 'Encrypted sounds of wellbeing'' kindly supported by Arts council England.    

Website here 
Follow here ​

This research will be fed in to workshops with groupd across Leicester and the completion of a walk through music box.

 Diane Simpson: Sculpture, Drawing, Prints 1976–2014
​Nottingham contemporary 

 Light the night. Nottingham, 2020 

​I saw this work at Venice Biannual 2019.   

My studio practise has been taking place over the last two months - gathering ideas and designs for my structures, concepts and careful planning within my budget. I am about to purchase a scafolding podium as my base for building out from. But im looking at my budget before purchase as i want to hire other equipment and the designs in the sound experiance im not final on. It will get there. 

Colaberations will develop the work futher with other artists i will be speaking to this month and  i working with 4 local community groups in Leicester offering workshops and their own insite and visiting at Attenborough Arts Centre ''Art space'' with Tim Sayers ,  the Peepul Centre ''Lalu'' with Lydia Towsey and Two groups from Charnwood Arts ''Open Media'' and Arts Programme with James Chantry.

This is my 4th arts council project and 7 year working with a team from Silver Vine Arts/ Summer Art Trail. i am still working with the brilliant reliable and talented Melissa Fletcher - who is assisting with my web design, budget support and general one to one support major decions .
James Chantry i have worked with also for many years - exhibting together at Queen of Bragate Points of Departure (2016) and running workshops around Leicstershire. There are many cross overs with our work and practise. Earlie March we are on a work trip for his PHD-  filming and recording in Knorfok in The Fens, a place we both know as children and feel we can discuss and explore the same thinking there. We will also be dropping in on the Music Box museum for future projects.

James Chantry, Silver Vine Arts at LCB Depot- Crass Event (2016)
'Post Cards from Europe' (pre- referendum)

Artist Statement
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Leila Houston, The Grey Area 

Over the last 18 months Leila Houston has been researching the music box and automata and looking at how the ‘chimes’ can be related back to a time when people would call out the time of day to farmers far and wide in a field, dictated by a sundial or water timer. She has incorporated influences from both newer technologies and the older technologies they descend from. Leila uses analogue, digital, traditional art forms and participation to create the work.

In the installation The Grey Area will ask the audience to select options relating to one or more of their concerns about the current political system and their own well being. Data will be collected from their selections through touch.  Following the election on the 12th the data will be translated into a sound piece and a further artwork shown in the final week of the Interact 19 exhibition.

The project aims to be a socially engaged platform for many voices, a re-establishment of compassion. Having been brought up in a community centre in the 80s and learning the importance of centres and the need to build solidarity within them, Leila regularly invites the public to feed in to the development of the work and possibly find a way to break down today’s dehumanized experiences.

"The music box and the sound of the music box is something that takes people into a trance-like state - lost in a forgotten memory perhaps, maybe reverting to a child in an area of their mind and yet I also wonder about that place we go to when we create, somewhere between play and uncertainty, excitement, dissolution and enhancement."

Leila regularly collaborates with other artists and musicians to help form her ideas, The Grey Area has had recordings made by Leila and audio samples provided by musician Daniel Proud (Dee.P) who will also be creating the music score using the data collected showing in the final week of the show. James Chantry regularly collaborates with Leila and they run workshops for all ages in digital technologies mixed with traditional techniques. James has helped support this project through tech support.

Get in touch for sales, commissions and workshops accessible to all  leilahouston392@gmail.com

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Butterfly exoskeleton
Prices range from £40 (x9) – £390 for signed prints . Various sizes, montage or single - visit leilahouston.gallery for more prints and information 

Leila Houston (London, 1977) is a multidisciplinary  artist whose work investigates the social, political and historical aspects of a place and the impact we have on our environments. Houston explores connections between the external atmosphere and the internal sensation within places and objects, providing reflections on the language of architecture and the associations we draw through memory and the senses.

Work will be available for purchase from 26th October 2019 .....find details here on 26th. Also follow Leila Houston for regular updates on Instagram 

Please support by liking and sharing this link. 10% of all sales (from this site only) goes to HELP THE HOMELESS LEICESTER & U.K. ​

Bio
Recently work was exhibited at 2019’s Venice Biennale responding to the theme May You Live in Interesting Times.As part of the show her work was nominated for an award by Artlyst, Forbes, Venice Art Factory, Venice Art Projects, Academy Of FA, Venice.

2019 Art Council funded to produce solo show and collaborate with artists such as with Noel G Macken and S Clark. Taking the form of a music box, the work reflected feelings of the collapse of the political system which was shown at Newarke Houses Museum and LCB. Recent Exhibitions Miniscule, 58th Venice Biennale MINISCULE 2, Cross Lane Projects, Kendal Straightening out the petals (solo show), Newarke House, Leicester Walker & Bromwich: An act of Participation, Leicester Crash, London, EMPIRE II. 57th Venice Biennale, Brussels, Cumbria, London, Berlin Fit the Slit II, Venice Awards Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant Artist of the Year Award, AA2A 4-year Individual Artist Fellowship, Digswell Arts Trust
Further work
2017 Walker & Bromwich: An act of Participation, Leicester The Crash, Q Park, London Fit the Slit, Venice Lido, Venice EMPIRE II, Venice/ Berlin/ Brussels/ Cumbria/ London 2014 From the 12th Floor, LCB Depot, Leicester The Fine Art Society, Curve Theatre, Leicester OPEN 26, New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester The Image is the Servant II, Hansom Hall, Leicester In Celebration of Chinese New Year, Q Park, London 2013 The Salon, The Salon (EC Arts), Leicester Beauville Arts, Lot et Garonne, France 2012 Dual, The Cutting Room, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham MA & Other Postgraduates, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset

Commissions
Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant (2018) Arts Council England Research & Development Grant (2017) Arts Council England Microworld (2016) Interact Digital Labs and Genetic Moo Research & Development Grant (2015) Arts Council England Artist’s Access to Art Colleges (2013) AA2A Individual Artist Fellowship (2000-03) Digswell Arts Trust Individual Artist Grant (1999) Milton Keynes Arts Association
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