On a Sunday afternoon the City of London is dead, the Bank of England lies dormant and inpenetrable like an over-sized mausoleum. It feels like trespassing when walking down alleyways past closed Starbucks in search of the voice of Turner prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz. From the escalator to Moorgate High Walk her voice slowly becomes audible as we move up from street level, on Milk Street the repeated long draw of the violin bow reflects of the glass facade of the buildings opposite.
The songs she sings are from 17th Century London and they belong to a secret world that seems removed from the way we live which fits the atmosphere of the city over the weekend. The songs she sings come from a time when voice was a prevalent sound on the streets of the city, so much so that the criers and callers of that period inspired the popular music composed by Thomas Ravenscroft which Philipsz lend her voice to in this comission by Artangel.
The surround sound fills the entire volume of the open spaces, her voice follows her voice, unaccomponied, harmonising with herself in a round. She does not have an exceptionally good voice, she can sing in tune and rather high without wavering.
