Automatic Listening by Damien Robinson and Stuart Bowditch

firstsite commissioned artists Stuart Bowditch and Damien Robinson to make a new work that documented, but also responded to, 15 Artists, 15 Days -  a project that celebrated firstsite’s 15^th birthday.

Stuart and Damien proposed to listen in to the residency space from their studios, in London and Southend respectively, via a skype connection. For an hour each day they recorded what was audible before collaborating to create a new work from these collected sounds. They called this process and the resulting work Automatic Listening because their method meant the sounds were random and surprising - rather then being sourced or chosen for their interest.

This commission offered the artists a new way of working together, combining the processes and approaches they would normally undertake individually.

The final piece is 15 minutes in duration. It is an abstract composition, created by Stuart and Damien layering, repeating and editing the collected sounds to produce a soundtrack that captures all aspects of the residencies - from preparation to making work.