Artwork series exploring Ma Mère L’Oye by Maurice Ravel
by James Bulley
The Mother Goose Series
- A free exhibition
- 7th April –
- July 2025
The Mother Goose series is a group of five mixed-media sound box constructions, created by the artist James Bulley. Each construction is based on one of five movements of Ma Mère l’Oye, a suite written by French composer Maurice Ravel in 1910.
The five sound boxes incorporate found natural materials, collage, field recordings and music, creating spatial environments that explore the narrative of each movement.
The music for each sound box has been recorded with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, conducted by Dinis Sousa, from specific arrangements of Ravel’s scores created by the artist.
The artwork has been co-commissioned by Mediale and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, the latest in a series of projects pushing the boundaries of music and technology.
Dinis Sousa
Principal Conductor, Royal Northern Sinfonia
“The music is incredibly vivid, full of colourful orchestral details and gorgeous melodies – it’s a fairy tale for orchestra. With this commission, we wanted to bring that world to life in a new way, creating an experience that lets people step right into the magic of Mother Goose.”
Artist James Bulley’s work has been celebrated globally for pushing the boundaries of art and sound design, with past collaborations including the London Contemporary Orchestra at the BBC Proms, the National Trust, and sound work for productions at the National Theatre.
James Bulley said “It has been a privilege to realise these sound box constructions, inspired by Maurice Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye, a narrative suite that demonstrates the vast range of Ravel’s sound world. Creating this series of works has provided me with an opportunity to work with Dinis Sousa and Royal Northern Sinfonia, exploring what it means to thread Ravel’s music in spatial sculptural forms.”
Through the power of music and technology, this artwork has transformed a forgotten corner of the iconic Glasshouse building into a magical place of escape. Taking inspiration from Maurice Ravel’s music, and exploding it through the use of innovative digital technology, the Mother Goose Series is a perfect way for audiences to learn more about this beautiful orchestral work – and enjoy a free, unexpected musical experience.
Featured
Artist
Featured
Artist
James Bulley
James Bulley (b.1984) is an artist and composer whose work explores sound, space and the more-than-human world. He is based in London, United Kingdom.
Selected compositions include: Dawns, a work for five players created in collaboration with the artist group non zero one and the National Trust (premiered at dawn, 16 May 2020); Daphne Oram’s Still Point with Shiva Feshareki and the London Contemporary Orchestra (world premiere performance at the BBC Proms, July 2018); Tactus, a touch–sound landscape for the blind and visually impaired (Kaunas Biennial 2015); Living Symphonies (2014–2023), an ecologically composed forest sound installation by Jones/Bulley; Variable 4 (2014–2019), an outdoor spatial sound installation driven by real-time atmospheric conditions.
Artist Website
Credits
Co-commissioned and co-produced by The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and Mediale
Artist: James Bulley
Lead artist assistant: Jake Tyler
Artist assistant: Richard Hards
Orchestral recording mixes: Simon Hendry
Amplification design: Max Hunter
Woodwork consultant: Hugo Lamdin
Woodwork consultant: Jamie Barrera
Lighting:
With thanks to TMLighting
For Mediale: Kate Farrell, Tom Higham, Willow Bowen
For Glasshouse:
Digital Projects Coordinator: Meena Daneshyar
Head of Digital: Rachel Williams
Royal Northern Sinfonia Conductor: Dinis Sousa
Royal; Northern Sinfonia Orchestra
Orchestral recordist: Alexander Barnes