Biography
"Post Pansonic uppercase electronica" The Wire magazine, Nov, 2008
“The Owl Project are a wonderful combination of inventiveness, precision, lateral thinking and single-minded quirkiness” Tim Marlow, White Cube Gallery 2009
Owl Project is a collaborative group of artists consisting of Simon Blackmore, Antony Hall and Steve Symons. They work with wood and electronics to fuse sculpture and sound art, creating music making machines, interfaces and objects which intermix pre-steam and digital technologies.
By choosing wood as the main material for the iLog, Owl Project have extracted modern design principles but deflected it back to a traditional sensibility. This immediately raises questions about modern desire for disposable technology and nostalgia surrounding traditional crafts.
In 2009, working in collaboration with Ed Carter, they won a major commission to create ‘~Flow’ a floating tidal waterwheel powered electro acoustic musical instrument responding to the river. It was one of twelve extraordinary public art commissions for ‘Artists Taking the Lead’ celebrating the 2012 Olympic Games, installed on the River Tyne, Newcastle, floating oposite Baltic Mill for 6 months attracted over 50,000 visitors
Owl Project have performed and exhibited internationally, Highlights of 2013 included a commission by' Mid Pennine Arts' to make 'K-scope' a site specific installation at Turton Tower, Blackburn, and solo show at Bildmuseet Umea, Sweden. Sound Lathe continues to be shown as part of Sound Matters a touring show curated by the crafts council. 2014 will see newly commissioned works for ‘Barnaby Arts Festival’ and a residency project at ‘Manchester Natural History Museum’. The project is organised by Invisible Dust, who's Director Alice Sharp is a Honorary Research Associate at the Museum.
Contemporary Heritage: K-Scope from Mid Pennine Arts documentary by Ben Wigley
The Owl Project have designed the iLog to echo contemporary products such as iPods and advanced mobile phones. The iLog's expose these technological products with their plastic techno-packaging, to lack traditional craft and to be disturbingly disposable.