What we do
Clod Ensemble works across art forms, disciplines, institutions and sectors.
We put an emphasis on multiple ways of seeing and of things-in-process – on physical embodiment of ideas and actions, and on the interconnectedness of what we see and hear. Over time we have developed a broad interdisciplinary network of collaborators and audiences.
Clod Ensemble collaborates with people who have different reference points, lived experiences, skills and crafts. Our work attempts to create conditions for creativity and respectful collaboration. This is often done by questioning structures, systems and institutions rooted in histories of compartmentalisation, binary thinking or colonisation. We work with people to effect change, endeavouring to break, move and shift those boundaries which do not serve people well.
Our performances are created through collaborative processes. Rather than being fixed to a particular technique, tradition or style, we work with performers to find a language of expression which speaks to their individual practice and experience.
From staging the choral lament Silver Swan in Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall to using entire cities as the stage for the iconic Red Ladies, our work has always encouraged people to see familiar spaces from a new perspective.
Music for Clod Ensemble productions has ranged from entirely acoustic works to multi-speaker installations. Each Clod Ensemble score is a bespoke composition created in dialogue with the visual material: Silver Swan is an acapella piece for seven classical singers; Under Glass features a surround-sound electroacoustic installation; An Anatomie in Four Quarters counterpoints electronics, live orchestral music and a rock band.
Our work is underpinned by long periods of research and development funded by research bodies including the British Academy and the Arts & Humanities Research Council. Between 2015 – 2020 we were the recipient of a Wellcome Trust Sustaining Excellence Award.
