On a dark October night, a spellbinding light show transformed maritime Greenwich.
Artist, vocalist and composer BISHI took control of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, projecting her artwork ‘Reflektions’ across the Old Royal Naval College and on to the walls of the Queen’s House itself.
In this interview with presenter Parle Patel and accompanying blog, BISHI looks back at the momentous performance, and reflects on the significance of taking over this historic space during Diwali.
It was my absolute honour to be the first artist in history to have their audio-visual artwork projected across both the Queen’s House and the Old Royal Naval College to celebrate Diwali.
‘Reflektions’ was originally commissioned by Random String Festival for Coventry City of Culture in 2021. I composed a cinematic ambient piece for voice, piano, violin and electronics.
It is mostly wordless, ethereal and atmospheric, inspired by a combination of pastoral folk music, the soundtracks of Vangelis, Morricone and the musical aura of 70s bands like Cluster. The piece’s overall composition is heavily influenced by Indian Classical Music, Alaap, Jhor and Jhala structure, and every melodic part of the piece can be played on the Sitar.
The piece is underpinned by quotes from the Bhagavad Gita and Kahlil Gibran, read by new wave punk icon Hazel O’Connor, to reflect upon the universal nature of creativity:
For the soul, there is neither birth nor death at any time.
The soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval,
and is not slain when the body is slain.
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon,
nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by wind.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verses 20-23
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
‘On Death’ from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
After writing and composing the music, I workshopped various aesthetics and drew up storyboards before presenting these ideas to artist and long-time collaborator Jonathan Hogg, who refined designs for the visuals and coded them utilising volumetric 3D capture images shot in the old Daimler Studio in Coventry.
As we captured some of my own movement, the use of this 3D volumetric capture image data gives the effect that I’m emerging in and out of the architecture of the building.
As an artist, I write music while simultaneously conceptualising visuals and artwork: the two form a symbiotic relationship during creation.
Lighting designer Douglas Green was able to translate the musical structure of ‘Reflektions’ and the culturally significant meaning of Diwali into his lighting design for the Old Royal Naval College, with the columns bearing a strong resemblance to a psychedelic rainbow harp, emanating the feeling of a deep synaesthetic euphoria.
It felt incredibly symbolic to present ‘Reflektions’ at Greenwich, since the borough is steeped in colonial history.
The Queen’s House was the first Classical building to be erected in Greenwich so that nobility could watch the arrival of the ships. As the daughter of Bengali immigrants, this was an opportunity to create a full circle moment in relation to Ambalavaner Sivanandan’s well-known aphorism, ‘We are here because you were there’.
This quote elegantly captures the unequivocally synergistic relationship between post-war immigrants living in Britain, their first generation-born progeny in the UK and the legacy of the British Empire.
Where savage histories cannot be erased, as an artist my values lie in building bridges between musical languages and cultural disciplines.
It was reported that the event attracted nearly 10,000 people to Greenwich, and this is such a clear example of how museum programming can educate, reshape narratives and bring together diverse communities.
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About the author
BISHI is a vocalist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, and founder of WITCiH, elevating the voices of women, trans and non-binary creative practitioners in tech.
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Finding Diwali
Experience the festival of lights at the National Maritime Museum
REFLEKTIONS
Composed by B.Bhattacharya
Vocals, sitar, synths and electronics by BISHI Featuring: Hazel O'Connor (vocals),
Anna Phoebe (violin),
Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres (piano)
Co-Produced by BISHI and Richard Norris
Mixed by Richard Norris
Vocals (BISHI) recorded by Joy Stacey
Vocals (Hazel O'Connor) recorded by Roger Taylor Mastered by Katie Tavini
Released on Gryphon Records 2022 © all rights reserved
Originally Commissioned by Ludic Rooms as part of Random String, produced in partnership with Coventry City of Culture Trust as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2022. Supported with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and the Canal & River Trust
Main image and portrait photo © Bruce Atherton