The Hexagon Experiment
Six Friday night experiments celebrating women at the forefront of music, art and science.
- Date
- 3 November 2022
- Category
- Past Projects
From music made by robots to a spectacular tribute to an unsung heroine, The Hexagon Experiment brought together women at the forefront of music, art and science.
Featuring live music, conversations and original commissions from some of the North’s most exciting musicians and scientists including Jane Weaver, Anna Meredith, Stealing Sheep and Haiku Salut, with a special guest appearance from Lauren Laverne.
The Hexagon Experiment took place across six Friday evenings in summer 2018 in Newcastle and Gateshead as part of the Great Exhibition of the North.
Presented in partnership with the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester, The Hexagon Experiment took inspiration from their ‘Friday night experiments’, after-hours lab sessions in which Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov would test out less conventional ideas. One particular Friday night in 2004 led them to a scientific breakthrough - isolating graphene for the very first time.
In that spirit, The Hexagon Experiment brought together musicians, artists and scientists in a celebration of creative discovery, providing a vehicle for discussion on gender equality in their respective fields.
“You tend to think of music as an artform and science as something measurable, but actually hearing how the two intersect was really interesting.”
Audience member
Sounds Of The Cosmos
3 August at The Cluny 2
Cosmic psych artist Jane Weaver opened The Hexagon Experiment with an exclusive performance in an intimate setting – delving deeper into the science of the stars that have inspired her latest album ‘Modern Kosmology’ and the 2014 critically acclaimed ‘The Silver Globe’.
Before the performance Jane was joined in conversation by space scientists Sophie Allan (National Space Academy), Megan Argo (University of Central Lancashire) and Sally Cooper (Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics).
We Are The Robots
10 August at the Centre for Life
Electronic dream-pop trio Haiku Salut took centre stage with self-playing instruments. Exploring creativity in the age of robotics and artificial intelligence, in collaboration with the Robot Orchestra, they showcased their trademark ‘loopery and laptopery’. Listen to the desk recording of the nine part performance on Soundcloud.
Hosted by mathematician Katie Steckles, before the performance Haiku Salut’s Sophie Barkerwood was joined in-conversation by the creator of the Robot Orchestra (and winner of the Royal Society’s prestigious Michael Faraday Prize) Professor Danielle George MBE and algorithmic musician Joanne Armitage.
Adventures in Flatland
17 August at the Great North Museum: Hancock
Lauren Laverne was joined by composer Sara Lowes, visual artist Mary Griffiths and Dr Radha Boya from the School of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester to discuss their experiments with music, art and science. This was followed by a performance of Lowes’ Graphene Suite, a six movement graphene-inspired composition, with new art by Griffiths and Professor Kostya Novoselov. Here a section on Soundcloud.
Making Waves
24 August at Sage Gateshead
An audio adventure created by 10 young women music-makers aged 13-18, featuring cutting-edge music tech and found sounds. The immersive installation was created with guidance from artists Afrodeutsche, Caro C, Mandy Wigby and Vicky Clarke. Hear it on Soundcloud.
Before the performance Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE (co-founder of the STEMettes) was joined in-conversation by musician and Mercury Prize nominee Nadine Shah, former engineer and MP for Newcastle Central Chi Onwurah and recipient of the Royal Society’s prestigious Michael Faraday Prize Professor Danielle George MBE.
Wow Machine
31 August at Boiler Shop
Liverpool art-pop trio Stealing Sheep presented a theatrical-musical-dance-art spectacular, in tribute to the electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire. Wow Machine featured technical wizardry from experimental performance producers The Kazimier, dance from Edge Hill University students choreographed by Kate Cox, and costume design by Hannah Bitowski.
The event was hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music DJ, producer and broadcaster Nemone who was joined in-conversation by Stealing Sheep’s Becky Hawley and Emily Lansley, comedian (and Delia Derbyshire fan) Helen Keen and lecturer in Sound Production at the University of York and Chair of the Audio Engineering Society Dr Mariana Lopez.
Works in Progress
7 September at Cobalt Studios
Genre-defying composer, producer and performer Anna Meredith led a residency with nine eclectic musicians exploring the common language between musical and scientific composition. Hear the desk recording of this three part performance on Soundcloud. Produced in partnership with Generator.
In a conversation hosted by BBC presenter and broadcast journalist Elizabeth Alker, Anna discussed her process of mixing classical, pop and electronic elements in her work, while Dr Oana Istrate from the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester revealed their latest developments.
"Distinctive, different and added a new dimension to the Exhibition - amazing events that were beautifully produced and beautifully creative"
Maria Bota, Great Exhibition of the North
Credits
Video by Andy Martin. Photos by Victoria Wai.
The Hexagon Experiment was commissioned by the Great Exhibition of the North. Presented in partnership with the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester.
Part of Both Sides Now, an ambitious three-year initiative to support and sustain gender equality in music.
