Art in UK public collections is owned by all of us, but do you sometimes look at art and think 'what is that?' Well, we're here to help!
Your Art, Unlocked is a new podcast series about unexpected objects in museum collections.
The first series features artworks from Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums, F. E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio, Walker Art Gallery, The Box Plymouth and Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery.
Each episode has its own host – series one's hosts are Ruth Millington, Shane Strachan, Dickon Hall, Jon Sleigh, Precious Adesina and Steph Roberts.
In this episode of Your Art, Unlocked, curator, facilitator and artist support worker Steph Roberts visits Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in Merthyr Tydfil to unlock an unusual series of visual sound works by singer and scientist Megan Watts Hughes.
Steph Roberts at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Merthyr Tydfil
Megan's 'Voice Figures' were made in the nineteenth century using glass plates, powders and coloured pastes. But the secret ingredient? The human voice.
In her quest to discover more about these pioneering works, Steph talks to Rob Mullender Ross about how Megan recorded her voice, while contemporary sound artist Cheryl Beer reveals the impact the Voice Figures has had on her own work. At Cyfarthfa, Michelle Lewis details how these fragile works entered the collection.
So what does the human voice look like? Let's find out!
This is your art in your museums and galleries, so let's get to know it a little better.
Your Art, Unlocked is produced by Art UK and supported by Bloomberg Connects. Listen and follow each week wherever you get your podcasts.
