Join us for a panel discussion around Jennifer Lucy Allan’s new book The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast.
"Now that so many things can be – and are – recorded, I had forgotten that sound could also become extinct. The massive melancholic sound of the foghorn - the sound of safety and loss - is one of these and this colorful and detailed requiem tells the many interlocking stories of people who love it and try to preserve it. This has become one of my favorite books"- Laurie Anderson
"In writing that is both lyrical and precise Jennifer Lucy Allan maps the mysterious space where legend, technology, maritime history and pop culture meet. A book as layered and rich as that lonely sound" - Stuart Maconie
Jennifer will read a short excerpt from her book before we discuss the rise and fall of the foghorn and then take questions from the audience.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Our speakers
Jennifer Lucy Allan is a writer, journalist and broadcaster with a PhD in foghorns. She has been a journalist for over a decade, writing on underground and experimental music for publications including the Guardian, Quietus, and The Wire, and was previously The Wire's Online Editor. She is a presenter on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction, and wrote and presented Life, Death and the Foghorn for BBC Radio 4. She also runs the archival record label Arc Light Editions. The Foghorn’s Lament is her first book.
Lise Autogena is an award-winning Danish-born artist who lives in the UK and is currently Professor of Cross-Disciplinary Art at Sheffield Hallam University. She specialises in large scale performances and multimedia installations which she creates with fellow artist Joshua Portway. In 2013 they masterminded the Foghorn Requiem, an extraordinary and evocative musical work designed to commemorate the disappearance of the foghorn from Britain’s coastal landscapes. It was composed by Orlando Gough and performed around Souter Lighthouse in Tyne & Wear by three brass bands, more than 50 ships, and the foghorn itself.
Olivia 'Lilly' Edward will guide the evening's discussion. Olivia is a nature journalist who worked as Reviews Editor/Staff Writer/Digital Editor at Geographical magazine for more than six years, and continues to review for them on a regular basis. She likes nothing more than having discussions about nature and coming across interesting ideas that allow her to view the world in a new light.
Joining information
You will receive joining instructions for this event at 10.00am the day after making your booking, or 30 minutes prior to the event if you book on the day.