Can sound auto-destruct, can it cancel itself out in the process of it’s own creation? Society tends to cancel itself out: every new invention creates a new accident waiting to happen (e.g. before trains, derailment never existed). We asked Rhodri Davies, inspired by and in collaboration with Gustav Metzger, to bring together a collection of musicians to look at ways in which music/sound can cancel itself out, can auto-destruct during performance.

Society tends to cancel itself out: every new invention creates a new accident waiting to happen (e.g. before trains, derailment never existed). Gustav Metzger was the first artist in the UK to really address this tendency via his Manifestos for Auto-Destructive Art in the late 50’s & early 60’s. We’ve asked Rhodri Davies, inspired by and in collaboration with Gustav, to bring together a collection of musicians to look at ways in which music and sound can cancel itself out, can auto-destruct during performance.

Maybe you think that sounds kinds dry, or theoretical, but it’s both real pertinent in today’s political climate and also a way of thinking about sound that could lead to some pretty spectacular performances. E.g: Mark & John Bain using oscillators to shake The Arches, seismographs to pick up the harmonics and a massive sub-bass PA to play that back to live, Michael Colligan pressing white hot metal into dry ice, causing the metal to sing and scream, Robin Hayward’s sand filled tuba solo.

The Self Cancellation project is co-produced with the London Musicians’ Collective.