WITCiH - Women In Technology Creative Industries Hub

Bishi says she started WITCiH - the Women In Technology Creative Industries Hub - to celebrate and encourage Women in Tech. The programme at her Summer Salons has included performance from Ana Matronic, light art from Zarah Hussain, and a talk by aerialist Empress Stah who has collaborated with Peaches. The events are thought-provoking, fun, and a brilliant chance to hear from, and talk to, women at the cutting edge of creativity. The June salon was unmissable.

Rachel Wingfield - Loop pH

Rachel Wingfield creates other-worldly structures and environments, and sees herself as something between an architect and a designer. Her work at Loop.pH often focuses on revitalising public spaces and she collaborates with many different people including neuroscientists, chefs and musicians. She created the ‘Dream a Little Crazy’ music video for Australian band Architecture in Helsinki.

She described how smart textiles, biomimicry and design activism are all part of her armoury, and she works with a huge variety of organisations from big brands to community groups.

Bishi

Composer and performer Bishi’s brilliant brand of electronic folk pop captivated the crowd as she used layered looped vocals and sitar, and previewed tracks from her forthcoming EP ‘Winds of Fate’.

The EP was written with Neil Kaczor for ‘BREATHE : a celebration of air’ and premiered at a church in Stoke Newington. Her reworking of ‘Willow’s Song’ from The Wicker Man is stunning and takes it straight into electro pop territory. ‘Astara’ is inspired by the Star Goddess of that name, and was created when Bishi was commissioned to write music for the Spring Equinox. We can’t wait to hear more.

Imogen Heap

Fresh from her appearance at Ariana Grande’s fundraising concert in Manchester, Imogen Heap gave a breathtaking performance and an in depth look at her mi mu gloves. The gloves started as her attempt to simplify her live rig and also to be more engaged with the audience, with less pressing of buttons.

The project grew rapidly and there are now 30 glove ambassadors or ‘glovers’. They are used by musicians such as Ariana, Chagall, Kris Halpin and music and disability charity Drake Music. The gloves are a fusion of textiles and electronic sensors, combined with dedicated gesture detection and mapping software.

Imogen performed a song, then talked through some of the technical aspects of the gloves, including the need to set North so the Orientation Sensors can orientate! Then she repeated the song so we could understand more about what she was activating with the gloves and Ableton, from drum sounds to vocal effects.

In the intimate environment it was something very very special.