Salford's green spaces to be showcased in installation for Sounds from the Other City festival

Commissioned by the University of Salford Art Collection, From the Edge: Salford’s Hidden Landscapes, is a collaboration between Salford lecturer, composer and sound artist Simon Connor and award-winning photographer and artist Andrew Brooks.

Using multi-camera systems and spatial field recording techniques, the duo have explored the woodlands, waterways, routes and ruins of Salford to deliver a piece of work that will immerse its audience in these environments from multiple visual perspectives, accompanied by a 360-degree soundscape. The installation will unfold at an unhurried pace, encouraging deep listening and attentive looking from its audiences.

It will be presented in 7.1.4 spatial audio with a triple-screen panoramic projection within the University’s New Adelphi Building for the festival on Sunday 3 May.

The New Adelphi will be one of eight University venues across our Peel Park campus featured at the festival, with over 100 acts playing across 17 stages in total.

The Acoustics Laboratories is one of the venues again following the success of Hayley Suviste’s stunning artwork From the River’s Mouth at the festival last year. This year, Liverpool-based sound artist Lola de la Mata will be performing in the space for a special festival commission titled Our ears sometimes sing to us.

The University is proud to have been a main partner of the festival for many years, celebrating its 20th anniversary last year and was involved in the landmark 2024 edition that saw live music return to the legendary Maxwell Hall venue.

This year’s performers include genre-defying queer artist Lynks playing their first announced show of the year at Maxwell Hall, alternative artist Pollyformthedirt at Peel Hall, electro-soul artist Ellen Beth Abdi at Salford Museum and Art Gallery and rock quartet PINS on The Green.

The festival is curated by some of the region’s most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines and tastemakers in the North of England.

Emma Thompson, co-director of From The Other, the organisation that delivers the festival, said: “This year we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme.

“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital – not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important spaces are for our scene.

“Roll on May 3 when Salford will host another explosion of new music across countless genres, with Chapel Street once again full of people searching for their next musical obsession.”

Tickets for the festival are on general sale now.