Wimborne Contemporary Arts

Wimborne Contemporary Arts is an informal association that organises a series of occasional contemporary music and sound art events in the area of Wimborne, Dorset. The aim is to keep alive the spirit of experimentation embodied by Wimborne’s most famous son, Robert Fripp. If you would like to be notified of future events, or are interested in performing or profiling your work in some way, please contact Adrian Newton email: adriannewton851 [at] gmail.com. Wimborne Contemporary Arts is part of the national experimental music network, Outlands. Some recent activities are listed below.

Ecosonica weekender

A programme of interactive sound installations, live performances, video screenings, listening / sound walks, held at the Salt House, Bridport, 7th-9th June 2024. In collaboration with Electricbackroom. Featuring Circles in Circles, Trisha and Sebastian, No Context, Neon Lattice, Pete Treglown, Tansy Spinks, Eva Fahle-Clouts and David Rogers, Dog on a Deckchair, Gerauschhersteller, Sound recordings of the event have been made available on Bandcamp, here, here, here and here.

Confluence 2: microfestival of experimental music

Held at Walford Mill, Wimborne, September 10th, 2022. Featuring live performances by Akira Sileas, Chuter, Tim Cowling, Circles in Circles, Garden Institute, Monophonic, Volva, Trisha & Sebastian, David & Stephanie Rogers. Recordings of the event are available here.

Museum of ecoacoustic phenomena

Event situated in the Bournemouth Natural Science Society museum, as part of the BEAF Festival, May 4th and 5th 2019. The event included sound installations by Ambrose Seddon and Adrian Newton, soundwalk and editing workshop by Marcus Leadley and David Rodgers, sonic interventions by Lynn Davy and Adrian Newton, a lecture on ecoacoustics by Adrian Newton, and a programme of live and pre-recorded performances of sonic art. More details here.

Music in the garden with Gerauschhersteller.

Performance of Child of Tree and Branches, by John Cage. Knoll Gardens, Stapehill, Dorset. 2 pm, April 28th, 2018.

Enigma without stigma

Evening of experimental music, with Ed Dowie, Hello Monkey and Mosaicist. With DJ Dapper Dan. Priest House Museum, Wimborne, 10th February 2018.

The Forest of Plasticity

Welcome to the Forest of Plasticity, a place of transformation and mutability. Where sound is plastic and plastic is sound. Sound art and experimental music by local and international artistes, exploring sonic responses to ocean plastic. Featuring kinetic sculptures of ocean detritus sourced from Dorset beaches, by Lynn Davy and Adrian Newton. Plus headphone concert and live performances. Presented on Bournemouth Beach, October 24th 2017, as part of the Arts by the Sea Festival.

All trees are clocks

Live performance featuring Emily Burridge on ‘cello, Karen Wimhurst on clarinet, and field recordings of New Forest woodlands collected by Adrian Newton. New Forest Centre, Lyndhurst, 22nd June 2017. The piece was performed again at Dorchester Arts in April, 2024.

Improvised music night

March 6th, 2017, with Champion Version and ATTN magazine. Live performances by No Context, Clusters and Finglebone. The Winchester, Bournemouth.

Room for Improvised Music

A series of improvisation sessions organised in collaboration with Jon Lloyd during 2017.

Dada Garden

Celebrating a century of Dada, in a garden setting. Featuring live performance of improvised and experimental music, sound art, experimental video.

Hilda Coles Open Learning Centre, Wimborne, Sunday 24th April 2016, 1.30 – 6 pm.

Haiku

An evening of choral and violin music, featuring the guest singer / violinist Sianed Jones with Palida and Steam Heat a cappella choirs.

Hilda Coles Open Learning Centre, Wimborne, 7.30 pm, Sunday March 22nd. 2015.

Confluence

Confluence microfestival of experimental sound and video. Featuring Nemeton, Finglebone, Phantom Heron Seas, Matthew Shaw, Tom Daniel-Moon.

Hilda Coles Open Learning Centre, Wimborne. Sunday May 17th, 3 – 6 pm. 2015.

Treatise

A performance of Cornelius Cardew’s legendary graphic score piece, ‘Treatise’, as part of the Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe. Given by the Gerauschhersteller Ensemble. Thursday 29th October, 7.30 pm, in the Hilda Coles Open Learning Centre, behind the Priest House Museum, High Street, Wimborne. Tickets £5 (£3 concs.) on the door. http://www.b-e-a-f.co.uk/event/treatise/. 2015.