26 Sep 2024 - 28 Sep 2024
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A vibrant fusion of sonic art and engineering for everyone to enjoy
Designed and made by Rag & Bone
Created by Dave Young with Spencer Jenkins and Julia Snowdin
Dates: Thursday 26 – Saturday 28 September 2024
Location: Miners’ Welfare Park, Bedworth, Warwickshire
Opening Times: 12:00 – 19:00
Finale Event: Goodbye Babylon Gamelan! Saturday 28 September, 19:00 – 19:30
Join the Facebook event for the latest event updates
Produced by Artichoke as part of Nuneaton & Bedworth Council’s Creative Explorers programme, Babylon Gamelan is a pilot project exploring the potential for a festival to celebrate local industrial heritage and culture.
For any questions about this project, please reach out to Gamelan24@Artichoke.uk.com.
In memory of George Kessler CBE
Bid a raucous farewell to summer with Babylon Gamelan
Join us for Babylon Gamelan, a three-day interactive art experience celebrating the industrial heritage of Bedworth. Displayed in the Miners’ Memorial Park from September 26-28, 2024, this unique artwork invites you to immerse yourself in joyful sound sculptures and percussive installations. Follow the trail and pull, push, strum and drum, and activate sensors to make as much noise as possible!
“We first came to Bedworth in 2022 when we produced Sanctuary, a national Covid memorial, designed by US artist David Best. It was a great introduction to the town and area, and got us thinking about the possibilities for some kind of future regular event. We’re testing the waters with Babylon Gamelan, a smaller project that puts the local community very much at the centre of things, and we’re keen to know what people think”. – Helen Marriage, CEO of Artichoke
4m
Babylon Gamelan structure
300
Community Participants
3
Artists
Artists
Volunteers Needed
Volunteers
We’re looking for passionate individuals to volunteer for Babylon Gamelan.
You will be the main point of contact for visitors; helping them interact with the artworks and answering any questions they may have.
As a volunteer, you’ll play a crucial role in bringing this event to life, connecting with visitors, sharing the story behind the project, and guiding them through these captivating public artworks. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be at the heart of an extraordinary experience!
Discover Interactive Art
Babylon Gamelan, created by Rag & Bone artist Dave Young, is a series of mechanical sound sculptures and noise-making machines designed for hands-on exploration. Forget “don’t touch” signs – here, you’re encouraged to pull, push, strum, and drum your way through these playful installations in the Miners’ Park. Sensors react to your touch, creating vibrant soundscapes that echo the town’s industrial past.
At the heart of the event is the 4-meter high Babylon Gamelan, a monumental sculpture made from recycled materials and found objects. Its whimsical design, inspired by the Tower of Babel, combines rough music and random engineering to produce sonic chaos.
Hurly Burly at Just So Festival Lantern Procession 2017. Photo copyright Mark Carline
Follow the Percussive Trail
Follow a vibrant art trail in the Miner’s Welfare Park from the 26 – 28 September 2024. Designed by local artist Julia Snowdin, the trail features installations made with the help of over 300 community members and schoolchildren. The trail pieces, created from recycled cans and other scrap materials, guide you through the park, leading to three interactive sound sculptures by Nuneaton artist Spencer Jenkins. These sculptures were co-designed with local community groups, making each piece a collaborative work of art rooted in Bedworth’s rich industrial history.
Built by artists and the local community using an array of scrap metals, found materials and recycled objects, these noise-making machines invite you to play them and make as much noise as possible!
Created by the Community
Since May 2024, local artist Spencer Jenkins has worked closely with local groups, including Aspire in Arts, Khair in the Community, and Race Leys Junior School. Through hands-on workshops, participants contributed to the design and creation of these noise-making installations which are displayed alongside the Babylon Gamelan. Each group brought unique perspectives, from young people exploring sound waves and engineering percussive instruments to elders reflecting on their musical heritage.
This process included creating their own models to visualise the artwork, utilising their engineering skills to make interactive instruments, exploring colour through spray painting, painting and stencilling for decoration and making sound and noise with the use of found and recycled items.
Spencer used the outcomes of each workshop to inspire his making process, with the final artworks combining the creativity, minds and hearts of all those involved.
Babylon Gamelan workshop with Race Leys Junior, July 2024. Photo by Beth King
Aspire in Arts
Aspire in Arts aim to inspire and empower young people to reach their full potential. Their mission is to provide a safe, social, and creative environment that supports their transition into adulthood. They offer a variety of programs and resources designed to help young people discover their passions, develop their skills, and build self-confidence. Through art, music, and other forms of creative expression, they aim to foster a sense of community and belonging among young people.
Working with young people between 11 – 18yrs, Spencer drew inspiration from the group’s interest in creating a multi-percussive pyramid styled structure that would allow audiences to play instruments on all sides. Throughout the workshop process, the young people created pendulums and percussive instruments using scrap metals and plastics, and learned how different materials can make unique sounds.
Khair in the Community
Khair in the Community was setup in 2012 to continue serving the needs of the elders within the Muslim community through day care provision. They suffer from a number of different health conditions, some have mobility issues, some require 1-1 support and some are suffering from early stages of dementia. They offer a safe space in the heart of the community where they can meet their friends, eat fresh home cooked style food, share life experiences, and hope to breakdown any isolation they face in the day to day.
The women from Khair in the community are aged 60 – 90 yrs from India, Pakistan, Kenya and Syria and used the workshops to discuss their heritage and tell stories of their past. We discovered their love of singing and playing the Duf ( also known as a Daff or Duff) a framed drum played across the Middle East, South and Central Asia. The sessions also explored colours and stencil design inspired by these discussions, their countries and faith. Spencer has used the Duf and drums as the circular inspiration for the installation.
Race Leys Junior School
Race Leys is a vibrant and exciting school, where students are given wonderful opportunities to learn, develop and shine. Race Leys is built on the three Pillars of the Griffin Schools Trust which are: Proud Traditions, Wide Horizons and High Achievement.
The Year 5’s from Race Leys started their sessions by discussing sound waves and used this as the inspiration for the base design of their installation. They discovered how materials such as plastic, wood and metal can make different sounds and used this to engineer unique instruments from bicycle wheels, gas bottles, oil drums and bins. You’ll see the colours of the school (blue, silver, purple, white, gold) throughout the artwork as chosen and decorated by the young people.
Supporters
Thank you to our supporters who have given so generously to help Artichoke produce Babylon Gamelan.
Artichoke is a registered charity and every penny received from the public, businesses, trusts, and foundations goes directly towards the festival and keeping it accessible for everyone to attend.
Special thanks to our Giving Circle member Roger Medwell.
The Giving Circle
If you would like to play a part in jump-starting Babylon Gamelan, we invite you to join the Giving Circle.
Donors enjoy a close relationship with the creative team and have access to special behind-the-scenes experiences as a thank you for their generous support.
