Over several months, Fontana collected hundreds of hours of audio and video from above and below the surface of the Thames, from Richmond to remote locations in the Estuary, to reveal the hidden stories and sound-worlds of the river in a brand new public art work.

Images and sounds installed in the Lightwells and Dead House – spaces far below the courtyard, usually closed to the public – create an intimate, acoustic journey and reinstate the forgotten shared history of Somerset House and the Thames.

Bill Fontana: River Soundings installation at Somerset House from Sound and Music on Vimeo.

Bill Fontana, one of the world’s leading sound artists, has installed public art works at iconic locations in many of the world’s great cities, including London’s Millennium Bridge and Big Ben, San Francisco’s Golden Gate and Paris’s Arc de Triomphe.

15 April – 31 May 2010