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Hant, one of the HERD sheep sculptures, on a floating dock. — Hant at The Old Mill on 12 July, HERD 2023, devised by Orlando Gough, produced by Artichoke, part of Kirklees Year of Music. Photo by Matthew Andrews.

A genre-defying musical mash-up of epic proportions

A major new project produced by Artichoke as part of Kirklees Year of Music 2023

HERD: The Film

Following the success of Orlando Gough’s 10-day sonic spectacle, HERD, last July as part of Kirklees Year of Music 2023, Artichoke presents the film HERD. Directed by Colm Hogan, this 25-minute art film takes us on a sheep-filled, musical journey through the Kirklees landscape – its rural hills, waterways and post-industrial towns – with a score specially re-mixed by Gough.

A life-affirming musical exhibition as part of Kirklees Year of Music

Devised by composer Orlando Gough and produced by Artichoke, HERD took place around Kirklees during July 2023 as part of Kirklees Year of Music. The KYOM23 flagship project was a ground-breaking collaboration between artists, musicians and hundreds of schoolchildren and community members.

This musical and sculptural odyssey of epic proportions involved a community of makers, hundreds of local schoolchildren and many hundreds more members of music groups including brass bands, bleatboxing, choral groups, boliyaan music, and many other musicians.

Over six magical days from 11 – 16 July 2023, 23 larger-than-life sheep, unlike any you’ve ever seen or heard, appeared in surprising places across the beautiful Kirklees countryside. Designed by Huddersfield-based artist Dave Young, working with heritage craft practitioners, each sheep sculpture had its own unique identity. Wired for sound, these musical sheep sculptures sang original compositions into the landscape, moving from the rural boundaries of Kirklees as they were herded towards town and city.

This epic event culminated in Huddersfield’s St George’s Square on Sunday 16 July as thousands gathered for an immersive day of sound and music. Positioned around the square and loaded with speakers, the sheep sculptures effectively created a surround-sound environment that the audience could hear from wherever they stood.  

Watch the highlights: 11 - 16 July

Where are they now?

A little girl with brown hair in pigtails is reach out towards Aina, the giant — Aina, one of the HERD sheep sculptures, seen at Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park. Photo by Mrs Dowson’s Farm Park

We’re pleased to announce that several of the sheep have now found their forever homes across the UK

You can visit the sheep in the locations below to celebrate lambing season and the start of Spring:

Aina (the mother sheep) at Hawkshaw Farm, Lancashire

Bumfitt at Oakwell Hall, Kirklees

Covero at Hawkshaw Farm, Lancashire

Dix at Sunnybank Mills, Leeds

Eddero at Hawkshaw Farm, Lancashire

Fethera at Sunnybank Mills, Leeds

Ix at Callaloo Carnival Arts, Huddersfield

Jiggit at Yorkshire Youth Music

Kindra at Kirklees Council‘s Events Team

Methera at Kirklees Council‘s Events Team

Pethera at Crook Hall, Durham

Sesan at Ramside Hotel, Durham

Umphit at Oakwell Hall, Kirklees

Vedero at Huddersfield Canal Society, Huddersfield

Wix at Safe Anchor Trust, Kirklees

Why sheep?

HERD celebrates the enormous influence that sheep have had and contribution they have made to this part of Yorkshire and its people. The history of Kirklees is rooted in the textile industry. Wool and water brought succeeding generations to work in the mills, bringing with them their own unique musical traditions.

The musical sheep were designed by Huddersfield-based artist Dave Young, working with heritage craft practitioners, each having its own unique identity. Ranging in size from 1 – 4 metres high, they were made from a variety of materials including textiles, willow, salvaged and recycled junk. They were wired for sound by Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero, experts in sound design.

The sheep were each named after the ancient sheep-counting song, Yan Tan Tethera, which is derived from the Celtic Brythonic language. The names of the sheep are:

Aina, Bumfitt, Covero, Dix, Eddero, Fethera, Giggit, Hant, Ix, Jiggit, Kindra, Ludd, Methera, Nant, Odra, Pethera, Qethera, Ranadik, Sesan, Tethera, Umphit, Vedero, Wix.

Audience at HERD event in St George's Square

18 months in the making, HERD forged deep connections within the community, participants and passers-by alike

The monumental work intertwined the industrial and cultural narratives of Kirklees and paid homage to its rich musical heritage and its historical ties to the textiles industry. At the heart of the project, the 23 handcrafted musical sheep sculptures wove together tales of movement, sound, industry, and labour, symbolising the enduring significance of the wool trade for Yorkshire and its people.

Throughout the week, passers-by across Kirklees stumbled upon the sheep broadcasting original soundscapes into the landscape, leading them on an epic sonic journey around Kirklees’ rich musical culture. The diverse range of soundscapes were commissioned from local sound artists, and expertly mixed by Orlando Gough and sound designers Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero. They drew together found sounds from Kirklees past and present, with recordings of the musical performances. 

The Soundscape

Boliyaan group, led by Swarnjit Kaur, featuring Hardeep Sahota in St George’s Square performing in the finale on 16 July. Photo by Studio Bokehgo

The richly layered soundscape for HERD celebrates a district with a culture rich in music of all forms. The piece traces the cultural and industrial story of Kirklees, through its multicultural musical traditions, from rural idyll to the present day. Inspired by the woollen trade, its industrial heritage and the people who came from all over to work in the textile mills, HERD’s soundscape knits together multicultural musical traditions and identities.

The sound artists that took part include Chris Ruffoni, Jaydev Mistry, Jo Kennedy, Yorkshire Sound Women Network, Monty Adkins, Rob Crisp, HOOT, Sunil Kalyan, and Sam Hodgson, Ruby Wood, Thabo Mkwananzi, Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones, Supriya Nagarajan, Donovan Christopher (Debo), Huddersfield Choral Society, Huddersfield Community Gospel Choir, Shepley Singers, Hade Edge Brass Band, Skelmanthorpe Brass Band and school choirs.

“I always like to make work that encompasses all kinds of different types of music and make connections between musicians who don’t normally work together. HERD was my dream commission. It was an honour to be able to work with so many great musicians from different cultures, all local to the area, and to have them working together in exciting ways.”

~ Orlando Gough, composer and creator of HERD ~