Vex by Scanner

Back in 2012, I was approached by architects Chance de Silva to collaborate with them on their project Vex, a curved, fluted, in situ concrete house in London.

This album is an adaptation of the permanent sound installation that exists within the frame of the building itself. Initially inspired by Erik Satie’s Vexations (1893), the composition that was the starting point for the architecture design itself, the final soundscape focuses more on the environmental sounds of construction, the physical pouring of the concrete and so on. It’s truly musique concrete!

Two of the pieces are edits of the full-length extensive work, plus a special mix made for showing our work in the Venice Architectural Biennial in 2014. For this special Bandcamp release I've also included the special reworking I produced in 2018, inspired by American composer Alvin Lucier's work 'I Am Sitting in a Room' which features Lucier recording himself narrating a text, and then playing the tape recording back into the room, re-recording it.

The building is a three-storey studio house with top floor living spaces and a roof terrace accessed via a glazed roof pavilion. The music/sound is fully integrated within and around the building's spaces. Vex is an unusual addition to the Northwold Cazenove conservation area.

Robin Rimbaud - Scanner is an artist and composer working in London. Since 1991 he has been intensely active in sonic art, producing concerts, installations and recordings. His work has been presented throughout the United States, South America, Asia, Australia and Europe.

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