Ivan Riches is a disabled visual/ sonic artist, filmmaker, musician/ composer and writer. He is a national associate artist with Drake Music and Age Exchange, co founder of Eyesociation. He has worked with the Disability Programmes Unit and as an art lecturer at the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has shown and exhibited art-works and films at the APT Galley, BBC television, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, City Hall London, ICA Gallery, National Film Theatre BFI Southbank and Oxo Tower Wharf, including exhibiting in open exhibitions at the Royal Festival Hall, Shape Arts, South London Gallery and Whitechapel Art Gallery. He has also published an introductory guide 'Doing photography' MENCAP guides on running arts projects.

Art, music and new accessible technologies

22 February 2016

Blog

Things are really happening with new arts technologies, particularly in (assistive Music Technology) AMT. Yes I am back with Drake Music Connect & Collaborate, trying to drum up, or tap out interest for London based artists/ musicians in getting together for monthly meetings, the first being in the Sackler Space at the Roundhouse, 12 – 3.30pm on 1st of March, only a week away. Having completed my ‘Sonic Vistas’ project, like many other disabled artists I am wondering...

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Sonic Vistas rehearsals and performance

6 September 2015

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We did it. The Sonic Vistas project has been an illuminating and expansive experience. In an extremely short period of time, 7 of us disabled artists/ musicians have devised and recorded 5 songs, for which I made 5 film projections (now videos). We performed them live at the Liberty Festival London 2015, part of which was captured by Channel 4 and included in their National Paralympic Day programme, shown in the ist week of August. This has been an amazing journey and a wonderful learning curve...

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Sonic Vistas: gearing up for a performance at Liberty Festival with Sophie Partridge

24 July 2015

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We, Sonic Vistas are organically consolidating as a group. And we couldn't be more different as artists and personalities, yet it works beautifully. And the key aspect of that, is in how we develop and construct our songs in their arrangement, with 7 of us in the band this is crucial.  We cannot continuously bash away together at the same time, so not playing at certain times is as important as playing, like being in a mini orchestra. We also have to link our playing with the films I...

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Sonic Vistas: Kris Halpin talks about his MiMu gloves - new technology developed by Ivor Novello award winning artist Imogen Heap

13 July 2015

Blog

We have now done our third session as Sonic Vistas and the development of our set is well on its way for the Liberty Festival London 2015.  In this blog I am introducing you to Kris Halpin: “So today I embarked on an intriguing new adventure. I’ve joined Ivan Riches’ Sonic Vistas project, a collaborative collective of disabled musicians. I’ve played with plenty of bands in the past, but this is two firsts. I’ve never worked with other musicians with...

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Sonic Vistas, with accessible, deep, resonating sounds and beats

29 June 2015

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Sonic vistas, as both an arts project and a group/ band is developing beyond all my expectations. Over our past 2 sessions, it has been a privilege to work with such talented and creative artists/ musicians, Kris Halpin, Howard Jaques, Mik Scarlet, Rosie Vachat and rapper MC Geezer. And the amazing Sophie Partridge will be joining us next session to complete our 7-piece band for our performance at the Liberty Festival London 2015.   To give a brief overview of the project, Sonic Vistas is...

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Sonic Vistas: Live music ensemble with video projection

15 June 2015

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I had two creative passions in my late teenage years, songwriting and visual arts. It was the time of post punk, new wave and two tone, so naturally I opted for forming a band. Writing the songs and arrangements was an exciting process, but live performances were stressful. I found myself getting lost in my own compositions, playing live and forgetting to come in on the chorus or bridge was an extreme annoyance for my fellow musicians. I had no idea why I kept losing concentration, so I put it...

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