Sound recording at Ritherdon with Manoli Moriaty - a-n The Artists Information Company

As part of my investigations into the manufacturing environment, I have called upon my good friend and now collaborator Manoli Moriaty to help carry out some sound recordings. The initial intention was to produce sound documentation of the factory floor which doubled up as base material to be developed into sound works. Manoli also suggested other forms of technical wizardry which involved strapping a modified Wii remote onto a willing Rhys, in order to monitor his arm movements along with the vibrations of tools and steel during grinding and polishing processes.

After Manoli’s first visit to he factory, we settled on the idea of our first (undoubtedly of many!) collaboration being the production of an audio ‘walk-around’ of the factory. Keeping our first collaboration modest and achievable in the remaining timeline of Return to Ritherdon, this work will function as a documentary style track, giving a kind of remote sound experience of the factory when played in external venues. It also gives us the opportunity to spend time weedling out and celebrating all the glorious and somewhat more gentle sounds that contribute to the regular factory soundscape. More on this to come!

Take a look at Manoli’s website for further information about his projects, research and teaching to date:

https://manolimoriaty.com/

Pew Pew! Manoli shooting the shotgun mic at the Trumpf

Nicola Ellis

Nicola Ellis is a British visual artist based in Manchester, who explores the question of who values what—and why—in different contexts. Her work examines how information, tradition, and legacy are passed on and translated through materials, systems, and the people who work within them. Ellis works with materials sourced from places of industry, scientific research, and public institutions; therefore, her sculptures, drawings, and digital artworks often intercept and expand existing material cycles. Her work simultaneously celebrates the connections and distinctions between different contexts at specific points in time. Since 2018, Ellis has developed a long-term relationship with Ritherdon & Co. Ltd, a manufacturer of steel enclosures based in Darwen, Lancashire. The success of this residency led to the two-year Arts Council England-funded placement “Return to Ritherdon,” which resulted in an unprecedented invitation to remain in residence indefinitely. Ellis will continue to observe, participate in, and occasionally disrupt the ecosystem of the factory while working alongside—and in collaboration with—the Ritherdon workforce. Ellis is a member of Para-lab Manchester, a group of artists and material scientists interested in cooperation and collaboration, based in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire. She is also a member of Incidental Unit, the current iteration of the Artist Placement Group. The Incidental Unit draws out key ideas, methods, processes, and rationales for maintaining the independent and critical work of artists and curators, connecting the historical legacy of APG with the complex nature of social practice today. Incidental Unit In recent years, Ellis’s work has been acquired by private and national public collections, including the Government Art Collection and the Arts Council Collection. She is the recipient of a Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award, a Henry Moore Artist Research Fellowship, and several Arts Council England grants to support the development of her work. Most recently, Ellis was awarded Horizon Europe funding by Better Factory to participate in an eighteen-month “Knowledge Transfer Experiment” in collaboration with Ritherdon & Co. Ltd and technology provider Digiotouch. This project developed new technology and infrastructure to support the integration of robotics into a small factory floor, reduce waste, and expand the Ritherdon product portfolio to achieve lot-size-one production of bespoke powder coating finishes.

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