The City is Full of Noises: Meet Visual Sequence

25 February 2023

Find out more about Visual Sequence ahead of her Modular Mondays performance

Taking place across our gallery spaces as part of The City is Full of Noises, Modular Mondays are weekly pop-up performances from local electronic musicians. Among our featured artists is Rhiannon Bigham - an interdisciplinary artist working in Coventry under the name Visual Sequence.

Ahead of her Modular Mondays set on Mon 27 Feb, we asked Rhiannon to tell us a bit about her work and how her passion for electronic music started.

Can you tells us a little about yourself?

I experiment with a range of media including audio, written and visual, and I enjoy playing with the links between different forms. Exploring with sound is very important to me, using the influence of noise around us to create something unexpected and capricious, while building tracks methodically. As well as using found sounds, I tend to use kit that fits the soundscape I want to create. My first E.P., Brume, inspired by the different states of sea fog, was released last year on Err Rec.

What attracted you to electronic music and made you decide to start making music with modular synths?

My mind seems to like patterns and sequences, having a structure, breaking it down, building it again. I can play a range of different instruments, and the common theme has always been experimenting, finding new pathways. Electronic music allows me to combine those two aspects very well, while giving such a beautiful palette of sounds to work with. I’m fairly new to modular synths, I love the freedom, different characters and independent relationships you develop through making your own connections.

How easy it is to pick up and learn to make music with modular synths?

I started off with semi modular synths, including the Moog Mother 32 and DFAM. It really helped to learn the essentials on these before starting with Eurorack. It was important for me to start with just a few modules initially and I still only have a relatively small case, which will change and grow with me. There are so many great tutorials and guides online. I learn a lot from older electronic music books, as they help explain the basic concepts. I have also been lucky to have inspiration and support from those around me, working with Synthcurious has been great in this respect.

What can people expect from your Modular Monday performance for The City is Full of Noises 2023?

I’ll bring along some of the kit I currently enjoy working with, a few synths and my Eurorack case. I hope to combine these with found sounds from Coventry, while investigating how different environments at the Herbert react with the instruments.

Do you have a favourite electronic music album?

At the moment… Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children, Colleen – The Tunnel and The Clearing, Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain, Broadcast – The Noise Made by People, Kelly Lee Owens – Inner Song, The Human League – Travelogue and Fever Ray – Fever Ray.

Visual Sequence will perform a Modular Monday session as part of The City is Full of Noises on Monday 27 February. Find out more about our month-long electronic music festival here.