The Essex 2020 podcast
In this series, we go behind the scenes of the UK’s biggest celebration of science and creativity. In each episode, Essex 2020 project director Richard Freeman meets some of the brilliant people and organisations who are working to create, inspire and discover Essex’s past, present and future.
In this episode: Frazer Merrick of Signals and CLIP
Frazer Merrick uses field recordings, circuit bending and synthesis to create experiences that explore the act of play. Using lo-fi and DIY technologies, he transforms spaces or objects, encouraging audiences to become a curious performers and embrace play through interactivity, improvisation and collaboration.
As a sound artist working in Essex, he work across films, video games and interactive installations. He has exhibited at venues including Firstsite, Nottingham Contemporaries and Turner Contemporary as well as producing work with Channel 4 and the BBC.
Richard talks to Frazer about his work with Signals and CLIP, two organisations who have been central to the Essex 2020 programme.
Signals is a multi-award-winning arts and education charity and centre for creative digital learning, founded in Colchester in 1988. They specialise in film education, digital art and use media production for social, learning and creative outcomes. Their community projects are acclaimed for enabling people from marginalised groups to develop digital media skills and independent voices, by being part of the whole production process.
CLIP is a sound and music collective that creates experiences to spark curiosity, encouraging participants to experiment with sound and to explore the creation of music from unexpected sources. In 2020 they launched their first experimental consumer product: the Photon Smasher.
Useful links
- https://www.frazermerrick.com/
- https://www.signals.org.uk/
- https://www.clipsoundandmusic.uk/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1bfHpU5Tj4
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ck3p
- https://www.essex2020.com/spotlight/signals/
- https://www.essex2020.com/spotlight/clip/
We’d love to know what you thought of the podcast. Please review and share on your favourite podcast platform.
You can subscribe to the podcast at: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Google.
Essex 2020 is an Essex Partners initiative. This is an always possible podcast.
The interviewer was Richard Freeman for always possible and the producer was Chris Thorpe-Tracey for Lo Fi Arts.